


Baby Steps

by A_Marie



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-01 15:29:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15146138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Marie/pseuds/A_Marie
Summary: What if Rory followed in her mother’s footsteps in too many ways? How does she balance motherhood and college and who wants to date a girl with a kid? This is a reimagining of the Gilmore Girls. If you’re a Dean, Emily, Richard or Christopher fan – you may want to steer clear – they’re not the best in this story.  Only my ideas belong to me – everything else, I’m just playing with for a bit. This is going to be a Rory & Logan fic, but I need to set up the backstory so the first chapters won’t include Logan.





	1. Chapter 1

Lorelai’s dream for her daughter was for her to have a normal, uncomplicated life. To go to college, to find someone and fall in love, to achieve her dream of being the next Christiane Amanpour, to marry and have a family when she was settled in a career and a life.  She didn’t want her daughter’s dreams to be put on hold or worse yet, never realized because she made decisions that cost her those dreams.  Lorelai wouldn’t trade any of the moments she had with Rory, but at 16, she wasn’t ready to be a mom and she wanted better for Rory, she wanted more for her.

The day Rory came home and told her mother that those dreams would be on hold, Lorelai’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Her baby girl, 16 years old, was following in her mother’s footsteps. There was nothing she could do but pull her into her arms and hold her tight. They stood in the living room, clinging to one another with tears streaming down their faces. 

All Lorelai could think to say was “We’ll get through this. It’s going to be ok. Mommy’s here. We will get through this. I promise. We will.”

The only thing Rory could come up with was “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I disappointed you. I’m so sorry.”

She wanted to scream but no words would come out.  She wasn’t angry at Rory, she was angry at herself for allowing this to happen.  If she had been a better mother, a more mature mother, if she wasn’t Rory’s best friend, maybe things would be different but in that moment, none of that mattered.  The only thing that mattered was her baby girl, and now her baby girl’s baby.

Lorelai didn’t need to ask any questions, she knew most of the answers.  Rory & Dean had been dating since freshman year at Stars Hollow High School.  She knew eventually Dean would be her first, she just never expected it at 16. She knew screaming and yelling would accomplish nothing, so she just held her.

Rory knew that she had screwed up, but she also knew that she needed to face head on what she had done. Her heart sank when she looked at the test, clear as day were 2 pink lines – pregnant.  She and Dean had only slept together one time but as they always said, one time is all it takes. Her relationship with her mother had always been open, they discussed everything and that included sex and the proper precautions. They had used protection but nothing was foolproof.  She wasn’t on birth control because she didn’t think they were at that point in their relationship, but one night, it went too far and neither one stopped it from continuing on.

She had wanted to go home and tell her mom, but she didn’t know how to tell her.  After all the safe sex and the waiting until you’re older conversations, she didn’t know how to tell her.  Instead, she didn’t say anything, to anyone until she started feeling sick, at first she thought it was just a stomach virus but after a few days, it hadn’t gone away.  Her worst fears were confirmed when she looked at the calendar and realized that not only was she late, she was very late.  Only then did she tell Lane, and together they took the bus to Hartford to get a test.  Rory took the test in the restroom at the mall. When she exited the stall, her face told Lane everything she needed to know.  Rory was as white as a sheet and tears were forming in her eyes, all Lane could do was hug her.  They stopped for ice cream before taking the bus back home; Rory needed time to think about what she was going to say to her mother. When they arrived back in Stars Hollow, Lane squeezed her hand and told her to call if she needed anything.  Rory smiled back and headed in the direction of her house.

As she walked up to her house, she noticed her mother’s car in the driveway.

“Mom?” She opened the front door, surprised that her mother would be home already. She was supposed to be at the Inn for another few hours.

“Hey Sweets.” Her mom rounded the corner into the living room and noticed the tears that had begun to form again in Rory’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry.” Rory broke down sobbing, “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey hon, what’s going on, what are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry I disappointed you. I’m so sorry.”

“Ok Rory, you need to be a little clearer, what happened? How did you disappoint me?” Lorelai pulled Rory close and held her as hard as she could.

“I’m – I’m so – I’m sorry – I knew better – I shouldn’t have but – I’m so sorry.” Rory reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and produced the pregnancy test. “I’m pregnant.”

Lorelai felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Everything they had worked for was now in jeopardy.  Rory had done the exact thing Lorelai had feared, she had followed in her mother’s footsteps. Lorelai wanted better for Rory, she wanted more for her, but now wasn’t the time for that, her baby girl needed her.

“We’ll get through this. It’s going to be ok.” Lorelai held Rory tighter, “Mommy’s here. We will get through this. I promise. We will.” Lorelai could feel the tears streaming down her face and could feel the gut-wrenching sobs and Rory’s tears on her chest. “Everything will be ok. I promise. We will figure this out.”

They had no idea how long they stood there but by the time they separated, the sky had gone dark and the tears had subsided. Lorelai smoothed the hair back from Rory’s face, “I promise you, with everything in me, that this will be ok.  You could never disappoint me; do I wish this situation were different? Of course, but it’s not and that’s ok too. We will get through this.”

Lorelai took a deep, steadying breath. “Does Dean know?”

Rory shook her head. “No, I took the test at the mall with Lane this afternoon.”

“Ok, well you need to tell Dean.”

“How?” Rory looked up at Lorelai with sad eyes, “What do I say?”

“The truth. That’s all you can say.” Lorelai remembered telling Christopher about Rory, he wasn’t thrilled but he realized it was just as much his responsibility as hers. 

“Will you stay with me?”

Lorelai looked at Rory, so lost and broken. “I think you need to do this on your own. I’ll stay here and go up to my room, but you need to do this on your own.”

It was Rory’s turn to take a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t think he’s working tonight. I’ll see if he can come over.” Rory grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table and quickly texted Dean, she knew if she called, her voice would give her away.

**What are you up to? Can you come by tonight?**

**_Sure.  Everything ok?_**

**** **I need to talk to you about something.**

**_Ok. I have to finish some homework but I’ll come by after, how’s 8:30?_**

**** **Perfect. I’ll see you later.**

**_Ok._**

Rory turned to Lorelai, “He’s coming by at 8:30.”

Lorelai looked at her watch, 7:30. “What do you say I go grab us some dinner from Luke’s?”

Rory nodded her head, “I’m going to go lie down.”

“No problem. I’ll be back soon.” Lorelai pulled Rory into a hug and kissed her head. “I love you, kiddo." 

“Love you too, Mom.”

Lorelai grabbed her bag and headed out the door.  Once outside, she let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She wasn’t sure where they were going to start but they would figure out.

Meanwhile, Rory went into her room and lay on her bed staring at the wall covered with college stuff.  Harvard was out of the question.  There was no way she would be able to go there now, not even with a scholarship. She started to cry as the realization sunk in that the life she planned was over.

Lorelai got back home to find Rory curled up on her bed with a tear-stained face. She hated to wake her but she needed to eat and Dean would be there soon. She lightly shook Rory’s arm “Rory, wake up. Dinner’s here.”

Rory opened her eyes, “What?" 

“Dinner is here, time to get up, Dean will be here soon.”

Rory slowly got out of bed, straightening her sweatshirt and followed her mother into the kitchen. Luke’s burgers and fries smelled delicious, she didn’t realize how hungry she was, her lunch at the mall food court felt like it had been weeks ago.

They sat in relative silence. Neither knowing what to say, so they just sat, in silence, eating their food.  Lorelai was cleaning up the kitchen when there was a knock on the door.  “Come in!”

  
Dean hesitantly entered the house, he was usually comfortable coming and going but this time it felt different. Rory had sounded like something was wrong, and it didn’t sit well with him.

“Hey Dean. Come on in.” Lorelai knocked on Rory’s door, “Dean’s here.” Lorelai could hear Rory’s footsteps and then the door opened. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” Lorelai smiled at Dean and then headed up to her room.

Lorelai went up the stairs and sat on the very top step.  She was far enough away that she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said but she was close enough that she could get downstairs if Rory needed her.  She remembered sitting on the steps at her parents with Christopher, listening to their parents argue and place blame and plan their future. She promised herself she wouldn’t do that to Rory.  She didn’t want her to feel the hurt and anger she had felt all those years before. Lorelai was snapped from her memory by yelling in the kitchen.

“HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?”

“ME? WHAT ABOUT YOU? IT TAKES TWO, DEAN!”

“HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? OUR LIVES ARE OVER. YOU CANNOT THINK THIS IS A GOOD THING.”

“HOW COULD **_I_** LET THIS HAPPEN? WHAT ABOUT YOU – YOU’RE AS MUCH RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AS I AM.”

“I’M NOT DOING THIS. WE’RE NOT DOING THIS. I’M OUT. I’M DONE.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE DONE? THIS IS NOT DONE – THIS IS JUST STARTING. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? YOU’RE DONE. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?”

“SCREW YOU, RORY. I’M NOT LETTING YOU RUIN MY LIFE. I’M NOT. I’M NOT YOUR FATHER. YOUR PARENTS MAY HAVE WANTED TO RUIN THEIR LIVES WHEN THEY HAD YOU. I’M NOT THEM – I’M NOT DOING THAT.”

Rory felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Lorelai came around the corner at just that moment and looked at the two of them, standing on opposite sides of the kitchen table. They turned their attention when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. 

Lorelai entered the kitchen with an icy glare directed at Dean, “You need to get the hell out of my house, right now.”

“No problem.” Dean looked at Rory one last time, “I’m sorry I ever got involved with you. Stay away from me. If you’re smart, you’ll get rid of the baby. It’s not wanted and neither are you.”

“Get. Out. Of. My. House.” Lorelai spoke through clenched teeth. “NOW.”

Dean walked out of the kitchen and the front door slammed behind him as he left. Rory started to shake and Lorelai closed the distance between them and pulled Rory into her arms.

“Shhhh. You’re ok.” Lorelai smoothed the hair on her head, she was completely worn out and by the way Rory was shaking, she was too.

“Mom, what am I going to do?”

“We’ll figure it out babe, I promise you that.” Lorelai slowly rocked them back and forth, much like she had when Rory was a baby, only now, Rory was almost her height. “Hey kiddo.”

“Hmmmm.” Rory was snuggled under her mother’s chin.

“Why don’t you put some pjs on and stay upstairs with me tonight?”

“Ok. I’d like that.” Rory slowly let go of her mother and went into her room to change. Once her door was shut, Lorelai sat at the kitchen table, her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do, but she knew they had to figure it out. Taking a deep breath, she started to shut off the lights and lock the doors. Everything would look different in the morning.  She was sure of that. Rory came out of her bedroom, hair in a ponytail wearing her favorite duck pjs. 

“Ready for bed?”

Rory just nodded her head and started up the stairs.  Lorelai hit the light switch for the living room and followed Rory upstairs.

**_ 6am _ **

Lorelai hated to wake up Rory who was now cuddled up to her mother. Lorelai reached over to her bedside table to grab her phone and quickly texted Sookie.          

**_I’m going to be late. Rough night – I’ll explain everything.   Promise._ **

**** **Okie dokie. No problem. I’ll see you later.**

Lorelai put her phone down and closed her eyes. A few more hours of sleep would do her some good.

 

**_ 9am _ **

Lorelai opened her eyes to find Rory’s eyes staring back at her. “Hey kiddo.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Oh babe, I told you last night, no need to apologize.  We got this.” Lorelai glanced at the clock, “Why don’t we go to Luke’s to grab some breakfast before I head to the Inn?”

“Can I come with you to the Inn? I really don’t want to face everyone at Luke’s.”

“Sure, go get ready and I’ll meet you downstairs in 30.” Lorelai watched as Rory stretched and then headed downstairs.  Lorelai watched her go and all she could think was that her baby was now a Mom to her own baby.


	2. Chapter 2

On the drive to the Inn, they girls decided to tell some of their closest friends, not knowing if Dean would decide to tell anyone. Rory was most nervous about Sookie, Michel, Mia & Luke. They decided to tell Sookie when they got to the Inn, they would tell Michel, Mia & Luke after she went to a doctor to confirm that the test was right.

Entering the Inn, Rory instantly felt a sense of calm. She was comfortable here; it was a sanctuary, a safe place. It was her first home.

“Good Morning Michel.” Lorelai used her best sing-song voice, knowing it annoyed Michel.

“Good Morning Lorelai, Little Lorelai.” He looked up from his papers. “Thank you for joining us today.”

Lorelai rolled her eyes. “Sookie around?”

“In the kitchen is where I would assume a chef would be.” Michel went back to his work, effectively shutting down Lorelai.

“Come on kid, let’s go find Sookie.”

Lorelai and Rory entered the kitchen to the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Sookie looked up when the girls walked in. “I made cookies, they can help any rough night. I’ll get the milk.”

Rory’s eyes instantly started to water and before Sookie could get the milk poured, she was in a full on cry. “I’m pregnant.”

Sookie stopped what she was doing and just looked at Rory and then at Lorelai, who just nodded. Not knowing what else to do, Sookie grabbed Rory into a hug.  “Oh hon, everything will be ok. Don’t cry.”

Lorelai’s eyes started to glisten and as she watched Sookie hold Rory, she didn’t feel alone. They had a family and a support system. They really would be ok.

After spending some time with Sookie, Lorelai headed out to the desk to get some work done. Michel was quiet and Lorelai didn’t push conversation, she wasn’t in the mood. Rory sat in her favorite chair in the lobby and read a book. 

“Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking.” Lorelai was thankful for the phone to ring. Something to distract her from watching Rory and thinking about all the things that weren’t going to happen.

Lorelai kept busy answering phones, sorting mail and trying to stay distracted.  She did make an appointment for Rory to go to the doctor in the morning to confirm the pregnancy, an appointment she wasn’t looking forward to. By 7pm, they were on their way home, both emotionally spent after the past 2 days. Rory fell asleep on the way home and Lorelai helped get her into the house and into her room.  Rory was still very much her little girl, and that fact was driven home as she tucked Rory into bed.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They sat in the Jeep the next morning, having just left the doctor’s office with the confirmation that yes, she was pregnant and a regiment of pre-natal vitamins to begin taking. Neither knew what to say, so they sat in silence for a while, finally Lorelai spoke.

“Well, now we have to tell Mia, Michel and Luke. You don’t know who Dean will tell, if anyone.”

“I should probably call and let him know that I went to the doctor and they confirmed it.”

“That may be a good idea.”

“Ok. I can do this.” Rory pulled out her phone and dialed Dean’s number, expecting that his voicemail would pick up. “Hi Dean, it’s me, Rory.  I just got back from the doctor and they confirmed it, I am pregnant. I know you don’t want to talk to me now but I’ll still be here when you’re ready to talk. Ok. Bye.” Rory hung up the phone and just shrugged her shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll hear from him eventually." 

“Yeah. I’m sure too, kid.” Lorelai reached over and patted Rory’s hand. “Let’s head home.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The ride was silent, neither knew what to say, so they said nothing. It was always comforting to see the _Entering Stars Hollow_ sign, though today, they would have preferred to be anywhere but driving home. Lorelai knew that they needed to start telling their friends, she had no idea how they would tell them, that was up to Rory. Lorelai was about to turn towards their home when Rory spoke.

“Can we go to the Inn? I want to tell Mia before anyone else finds out.”

Lorelai smiled at Rory, “Sure thing, kiddo. I’m sure she’d rather hear it from you than someone else.”

“Yeah. I need to tell her, I just don’t know how.” Lorelai reached over and squeezed Rory’s hand.

“The words will come, I promise.  I’ll be right there and I’m sure Sookie will be too if you want.”

They pulled into the Inn and before Lorelai cut the engine she turned to Rory, “You sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

Rory’s legs felt like cement as she climbed the stairs of the Inn.  It was her first home and Mia was so much more than a friend, she was family. She was the closest thing Rory had to a grandmother.  Lorelai’s parents were never part of the picture. Lorelai was pretty sure that her walking out and leaving was the final nail in the coffin of her relationship with her parents.

The Inn was much quieter than they had expected, Michel & Mia were at the desk going over the reservation book when the girls walked in. When they looked up, they were met with two sets of the saddest blue eyes they had ever seen.

Mia came around the desk and walked towards them. “What’s wrong?”

Rory’s eyes welled up and she put her head down.  Lorelai’s eyes glistened and she forced a smile. “We need to talk to you." 

“Yes, come, come. Let’s go in my office.” Mia waved the girls towards her office. Michel eyed the girls suspiciously as they headed into Mia’s office.

Once inside her office, Rory looked at her mom and Lorelai nodded her head slightly.

“I’m pregnant.” Her shoulders started to shake and the tears began to flow. Mia walked over to Rory and pulled Rory into her arms.

“Oh honey, it’s alright. This will all be ok.” Holding Rory close, Mia reached over to squeeze Lorelai’s hand.  “We’ll be ok. I promise.”

Rory continued to cry into Mia’s shoulder and Lorelai motioned that she was going to step out. Mia nodded her head slightly and continued to hold Rory close.

Lorelai leaned on the office door after she shut it upon re-entering the lobby.  Michel watched as she walked to the front desk.  She opened the reservation book and stared at it. While he continued to watch her.

“Rory’s pregnant.” Lorelai never looked up from the book in front of her. Michel placed his hand on Lorelai’s shoulder and squeezed gently.  Before he could remove his hand, Lorelai reached up and placed her hand over his. They stood there, neither saying a word. For the first time since receiving the news, Lorelai truly believed everything would be ok. They had family, and that meant so much more than she ever thought possible.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

**_5 months later._ ** ****

Rory lay on the couch in the living room, looking through all the photos from the past few months, trying to find the perfect ones to include in the scrapbook she was putting together for the baby.  They had been taking a photo every few weeks to document her changing body. There were photos from the baby shower that had been held in her honor.  Mia had hosted the party at the Inn, filling the lawn with tables and chairs and welcoming everyone in Stars Hollow to join the party.  Rory had decided not to find out if it was a boy or girl, so the decorations were in shades of green and yellow with bright yellow sunflowers on each table.  Both Rory and Lorelai had been surprised when they arrived at the Inn on a sunny May morning, Rory at 7 months pregnant and uncomfortable, was planning to spend the day sitting on the patio at the Inn, close to her mother.

They arrived to find all of their friends, their Stars Hollow family, gathered on the lawn, ready to celebrate the day and spoil Rory and her baby.  The noticeable absence was Dean, who had admitted a few months earlier that he wanted nothing to do with Rory or the baby.  During her 6th month, his family had made plans to leave Stars Hollow, not wanting to acknowledge that he was going to be a father.  Before they left, Rory had received papers from a lawyer and signed by a judge, stating that Dean was relinquishing all parental rights. Her baby would officially be fatherless, just like her.

The baby shower was the perfect distraction from the news and it kept her mind off of her impending single parenthood. She allowed herself to enjoy the day, eating much more than she should have but blaming it on eating for two, opening a mountain of presents, finding that she would need nothing for the baby for a few months at least and listening to the chatter of the guests, their family, her baby’s family. She was content and as Lorelai watched the day unfold, she too was content, assured that everything would be ok, just like she had promised Rory it would be.

The following weeks were spent trying to make space for the baby in the house. The baby would share a room with Rory and that meant redecorating and reorganizing.  Luke had been a godsend and spent hours moving furniture, putting together the crib and changing table and making any repairs around the house to baby-proof it.  Luke had always been special to the Gilmore Girls, he was one of the first friends Lorelai had in town and he had helped them move in and became the unofficial handyman. He was the closest thing Rory had to a father figure and she wouldn’t have it any other way.   She picked a few photos of Luke putting together the furniture to include in the book and continued her search for the perfect photos, her baby deserved the best.

As Rory lay on the couch with all the photos, she started to feel extremely uncomfortable, the baby was running out of space to move in her body and she wanted nothing more than for the whole thing to be over. At her last appointment, the doctor had assured her that she would survive the final month and it would all be over soon enough. Rory was home by herself, having promised her mom to call if she needed anything, and she was starting to think she should call her mom, the movement was turning into cramping and she wasn’t sure but it felt like they had described as contractions in the birthing classes she had attended with her mom. She reached for the phone and quickly dialed the number for the Independence Inn. As soon as Michel answered, she told him she needed her mom to come home, she wasn’t sure but she thought she might be having the baby.

Ten minutes later, Lorelai had loaded Rory into the Jeep and was headed to the hospital. As they drove to the hospital, Rory started to monitor her breathing, she noticed that if she took slow breathes in and out, the pain wasn’t so bad.

Lorelai noticed the Rory’s eyes closed and that she was clearly focusing on her breathing.  “How you doing, kiddo?”

“It hurts and I’m really scared.”

Lorelai reached over and grabbed Rory’s hand. “I’ll be with you the entire time; you’re going to be ok.”

Rory squeezed her mom’s hand as another contraction came, this one stronger than the previous ones. “I don’t know if I can handle doing the splits on a crate of dynamite.”

Lorelai instantly thought back to all the years of climbing into bed with Rory and telling her the story of her birth.  Thinking back, it may not have been the best idea.

By the time they reached the hospital, Rory’s contractions were closer together and they were told she would be having the baby soon, hopefully within hours. They got her settled into a room and Lorelai was by her side through the next 6 hours of labor.  When Rory felt like she couldn’t take anymore, the doctor had assured her that the body can take more than the mind believes and that she would be able to push through the pain and exhaustion and have the baby.

Lorelai quickly called the Inn to let Mia know that the baby would arrive soon and she would call with any updates. Mia told her to focus on Rory; she would tell everyone else and would head to the hospital shortly. Lorelai thanked her and returned her focus to her little girl, now lying on her side with a big belly protruding from her usually slim figure. 

Another few hours passed, the clock nearing midnight, when the nurse came in to monitor her vitals and smiled at Rory, “Are you ready to meet your little one? I’m going to get the doctor but I think it’s time.”

Rory’s eyes got as big as saucers and she looked at her mom, terrified. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Trust me you can.”

The doctor returned and informed them that it was time to meet the baby.  Rory followed the doctor’s instructions on breathing and pushing. Lorelai holding her hands and smoothing her hair back, whispering words of encouragement to her baby, both with tears in their eyes.

At exactly 1:08am, Rory gave birth to a healthy, but tiny, baby boy.  She saw him first before they cleaned him up and realized that she was someone’s mom. She and Lorelai cried as they placed the baby in her arms, now clean and swaddled in a blanket. She looked up at her mom and knew she wanted to be just like her.


	3. Chapter 3

**_9am_ **

 Rory opened her eyes slowly, looking over to see her mom curled up in a chair. The last thing she remembered was handing the baby to the nurse around 5am to be taken to the nursery.  She needed to sleep and so did her mom.  The nurse told her they would be in to check on her periodically throughout the night and when she was up and ready, they would bring the baby back to her. 

“Mom.” Rory called softly, “Mom.”

Lorelai started to wake up and turned to Rory, “Hey kiddo.” She sat up and walked over to Rory, “How you feeling?”

“Tired. Sore.” She looked at her mom, “I did it.”

“You did babe and you did great.” Lorelai leaned down and kissed her head, “He’s beautiful, you did good, kid.”

The nurse came in to check on her and saw them both awake. 

“Good morning, mommy.” She smiled, “You did great and your little guy has quite the set of lungs. You ready to see him?” 

“Yes!” Rory exclaimed excitedly.

“Well let’s get you out of bed and moving around and then I’ll go get him and bring him to you.”

“Ok.” Rory swung her legs to the side of the bed and with her mom on one side and the nurse on the other, she slowly got out of bed and walked around the room.  Her body felt different and her muscles were a lot tighter than she expected.  Her whole body hurt and she understood why her mother had always said it was like doing the splits on a crate of dynamite. She hurt in places she had never hurt before. After a lap around the room, she slowly got back into bed.

“Did you call Mia? Sookie? Luke?” Rory asked her mom.

“I called Mia and told her not to come last night when I realized that the little boy wasn’t making his appearance before midnight. Why don’t you call and let her know you’re ok? I’m going to freshen up, I don’t need my grandbaby to meet me looking like the walking dead.” Lorelai tossed Rory her cell phone and headed to the in-room bathroom.

Rory quickly dialed Mia’s number and was slightly disappointed when she received her voicemail. She hung up without leaving a message and called the Independence Inn.

“Independence Inn, Michel speaking, how may I assist you?”

“Hi Michel, its Rory.”

“Rory. How are you? How is the baby?”

“We’re fine, I was looking for Mia, is she around?”

“Yes, she is. One moment.”

Rory heard some shuffling and then Mia’s voice on the other end of the phone. “Sweetheart, how are you?”

“Hi Mia, I’m good. We’re good. I wanted to invite you to come and visit.  We can have visitors until 7pm tonight and hopefully we can go home tomorrow.”

“I will be there as soon as I can get away. Do you need me to bring anything with me?”

“Do you think you could steal some chocolate chip cookies from Sookie?”

“Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

“Ok Mia. See you soon.”

Rory hung up and smiled as Lorelai exited the bathroom. “Mia is bringing cookies.”

Lorelai smiled, “Chocolate chip?”

Rory nodded. “They should be bringing the baby in, how do I look?” She smiled up at her mom.

“Perfect.” Lorelai started rummaging through her bag “AHA!” she held up the camera like she’d won the lottery.

“Time to start documenting the little guy’s life. Smile mommy!” Lorelai started snapping photos and only stopped when the door opened and the nurse peeked her head around.

“Somebody wants to see his mommy.”

Rory smiled as her little boy was wheeled in and handed to her.  Lorelai continued to snap photos of everything, including the nurse. After the nurse had left them, Lorelai climbed onto the bed next to Rory and they huddled together, counting fingers and toes and telling him all about Stars Hollow.

“Have you thought of a name?”

“Yeah, I think I did.”

“Care to share?”

“Well, you named me after you and I wanted to name him after someone and since he’s fatherless, like me, I was trying to think of the perfect name.  Someone who has been a part of my life and has always been there for me.”

“….so….” Lorelai prompted Rory. 

“Elliot Lucas Gilmore.”

“Oh babe, that’s awesome.  Luke is going to love it.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

“It’s just, Luke’s always been there, you know.  He helps around the house; he keeps us in coffee; he’s just the only man that has been a constant in my life.  He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a dad.”

Lorelai couldn’t think of anything to say, so she leaned her head on Rory’s and reached out to grab the baby’s hand. “Elliot, I’m your grandma but we’ll have to think of another name because I’m much too young to be called Grandma.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next few weeks were spent adjusting to life as a family of three. They had a constant stream of visitors when they returned home from the hospital. Mia, Sookie & Michel had visited the hospital, while Luke and everyone else had stayed away and waited for them to return to Stars Hollow. The day they arrived home, Luke was waiting for them and once they were settled inside, Rory introduced Luke to Elliot and his eyes misted over when she told him that she had given him the middle name Lucas to honor Luke and the role he played in her life. It meant a lot that she would include him that way and he didn’t take the news lightly.  He knew that Lorelai didn’t have it easy when she came to town and becoming her friend had been just as much for her sake as his own.

Over the course of their friendship, Luke had watched as Lorelai raised Rory, bought a house and became executive manager at the Independence Inn.  She was supportive and understanding and when Rory announced she was pregnant, Lorelai took it in stride. It was just another obstacle she faced and she faced it head-on.  Things in Stars Hollow had changed since Elliot’s arrival, the Gilmore house was overflowing with baby products, toys now littered the front yard, a car seat had appeared in the Jeep, a stroller had taken up permanent residence on the porch and there was an abundance of babysitters.  Everyone wanted to spend time with the baby and he loved the attention. Rory was able to go back to school at Stars Hollow High, Elliot spent his days at the Inn with Lorelai, occasionally Babette or Miss Patty would watch him and a few times he even stayed with Michel.

By the time his 1st birthday rolled around, he was already an active member of Stars Hollow having been cast as the turkey in Miss Patty’s Thanksgiving show, the Baby Jesus in the Christmas Pageant and attending most, if not all, town meetings.  Even Taylor wasn’t bothered by his occasional cries, Elliot’s opinion on the town happenings.

Rory and Lorelai had thrown the birthday party to end all birthday parties. There were bounce houses, dunk tanks, pony rides and enough food to feed a small country. Though he wasn’t old enough to realize what was going on, Elliot looked like he had a blast and the cake all over his face, clothes and highchair was a testament to that.  The party lasted all day and by the time the party ended, the Gilmore house and yard looked like a carnival had just left.

“I’d say it was a success.” Lorelai put her arm around Rory as they sat on the top step looking out at the yard.

“Definite success. Elliot looks like he had a great time.  He’ll sleep good tonight.”

  
“Me too. Lola is tired.” Lorelai had decided on being called Lola, according to her research it was Filipino for grandma. It was, in her mind, a hybrid of Lorelai and Grandma.

“Thank you Mom. It was so much fun.”

“It was, and there will be plenty more to come. I’m just not sure how we’re going to top this one.  It was pretty spectacular for a 1st birthday party.”

“Let’s go to bed, this will all be here in the morning.”

The girls headed inside, exhausted. The past year had flown by and before they knew it, another year would pass and another after that. The next year would be exciting; Rory would graduate from high school and head off to college.  They had decided that she would go to school, community college, Ivy League, they would figure it out. Harvard was off the table, being too far for a commute but Yale had come into the running. They had already taken Elliot on a tour and Rory could see herself going there. It wasn’t where she had always dreamed of going but it felt like it could be the right place, for all of them.  She was close enough to commute, she could schedule her classes to only have to go to campus a few days a week and most of all, it was something that had been out of her mother’s grasp when she had Rory, she wanted to be able to show Lorelai that her sacrifices had not been for naught. 

As she curled up in bed, watching Elliot’s chest rise and fall as he slept, she promised she was going to college, for all of them and she was going to fill his life with love, fun and laughter, just like hers had been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**_1 year later, May._ **

Rory stood in her cap and gown on the front steps of the house, her 2 year old running through Babette’s yard, talking to the gnomes and playing hide-and-seek with Morey. Her mother, Sookie & Babette were fussing with her hair, her cap, her gown. Lorelai took a step back and watched the scene in front of her, her adorable grandson, her beautiful daughter, her best friend and the best neighbors a girl could ask for, it was quite the sight.  Lorelai snapped a few more photos of Rory then they got Elliot and Lorelai into a few.  Before they headed off to the graduation, Rory squeezed her mom’s hand.

“Thank you.”

Lorelai squeezed it back, “You’re welcome, babe.  Thank you for being just the coolest kid a mom could want.”

They shared a smile and Elliot shrieked “Tank ou.”

Though he was talking up a storm, thank you was still giving him some trouble. Rory scooped him up and put him in his car seat. It was hard to believe her baby was 2 and she was going to Yale. The day the acceptance letter and information regarding her full scholarship arrived, the house was filled with dancing and laughter, a mini-pizza party ensued with Lane, Sookie, Lorelai, Rory and Elliot. It was a day that Rory would never forget and she loved creating those memories with Elliot, just like her mom had done with her.

The graduation ceremony went as scheduled and following the ceremony, Lorelai and Rory had decided on a small dinner at Luke’s Diner, just the 3 of them.  They had hosted a large party just a week prior for Elliot’s 2nd birthday. They were partied out and ready for some downtime. The plan was to spend the summer in Stars Hollow, Rory wanted to squeeze as much time with Elliot as she could, once she started school, her time would be limited with the commute and school work, she would no longer be spending most of her day with him. Luke brought their burgers, fries and coffee and chicken fingers and chocolate milk in a sippy cup for Elliot.  Since Elliot’s arrival, the diner was now stocked with bottles and sippy cups, all purchased by Luke. It touched Rory that he went out of his way for them, baby-proofing the diner, buying bottles, sippy cups and even children’s plastic plates and silverware. He incorporated Elliot into their daily routine at the diner much like the rest of Stars Hollow had embraced him.

By the time they went home, Elliot was worn out and fell asleep before they got there.  Lorelai carried him while Rory stopped to get the mail. She flipped through the mail as she walked in the door.

“Mom?” She held an envelope in her hand.

“What’s up?” Lorelai closed the door to Rory’s room behind her as she walked into the living room.

“You have mail....from New York, no return address, nothing.” Lorelai looked at the envelope and recognized Christopher’s handwriting. “It’s from Dad, isn’t it?”

Lorelai nodded her head slowly. She had sent letters and left Christopher voicemails periodically throughout Rory’s life.  He had set up a Post Office Box under the name Lory Haymore and it was the only connection he had to Lorelai and Rory. When she had announced her pregnancy, Christopher’s parents had issued him an ultimatum, the life he was comfortable with, a trust fund, an education and a career or Lorelai and the baby.  Christopher chose option 1 and left Lorelai alone with a baby on the way and her parents, who were not thrilled with the arrangement.

She had left after a particularly bad argument leaving a note that she was moving on and would be in touch.  Once they had settled in Stars Hollow and Lorelai had a job, she had called the house and spoke to a maid who said her parents were unavailable.  She left a message that they were ok, she had found a job and a place to live.  The maid said she would pass along the message and Lorelai hung up the phone, knowing that was possibly the last time she would be in touch with her parents.  Lorelai sent a Christmas card to them and included a photo of them in front of the Christmas tree at the Inn.  It was returned with the words, RETURN TO SENDER – REJECTED in Emily’s handwriting. It was the final goodbye Lorelai needed.

As they stood in the kitchen, Lorelai held the envelope in her hands and looked at Rory, “I’m sure it’s about you.  I left him a message that you graduated.”

“What’s it say?” Rory looked at her mom expectedly.

Lorelai opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. She had always kept contact with Christopher private – she didn’t want Rory to get too attached, knowing she would not be able to have him in her life.  She talked about him and Rory had photos but that was the extent of her relationship with her father.

“Dear Lorelai,” she paused and looked at Rory, “I got the article you sent about Rory’s graduation. I can’t believe she’s graduating already, weren’t we just graduating ourselves? You’ve done such a great job raising our little girl, she’s going to Yale! Thank you for sending me an update, the photos were fantastic, she looks just like you did when we were 17. Until next time.  Christopher”

Rory looked at her mom, “Thank you.”

Lorelai kissed Rory’s head, “Anytime.  I’m going to bed. Sweet dreams.”

“Same.” Rory headed into her room as Lorelai headed up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**_September_ **

Rory stood on the front porch saying goodbye to Elliot, she was heading to her first classes at Yale. She knew it would be a long day being away from him but she did not worry.  Babette had volunteered to watch Elliot so Lorelai didn’t have to reschedule the meetings she had on the calendar. Opening their new Inn had kept Lorelai and Sookie busy and the meetings seemed to never end.

Rory threw her bag in the car and watched as Elliot ran into Babette’s yard to visit the gnomes while she headed off to school.  She raised her hand in a wave as she drove away but Elliot never looked back. The drive was long and quiet, the radio barely registered on her brain, all she could think about was Elliot and how she was going to get through an entire day without him.

Pulling into the commuter lot, she decided to find the coffee cart they had bought coffee from on their campus visit.  It wasn’t quite Luke’s but it was the next best thing.  It took some searching but she finally found it, clear across campus from not only the parking lot but also her class.  It didn’t matter, it was worth it. She took her 2 coffees and decided to find a bench to sit on while she waited for her class to start.

“It must have been a rough night, if you’re double-fisting coffee this early.”

Rory looked up at the tall guy with the Australian accent.

“How do you know I’m not waiting for someone?” Rory wasn’t sure what the guy’s deal was but it was too early for her to deal with a crazy person.

“You wound me.” He placed a hand on his heart. “Does the lovely lady have a name?”

“Rory. Your name?”

“Finn.”

Rory stuck her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Finn.” She checked her watch, “But I have to head to class. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She discarded one cup and started to drink the other.

“You can count on it.” Finn winked and headed in the opposite direction.

Rory’s day seemed to last forever, 4 classes and 8 cups of coffee of later, Rory was back in her car to start the journey home.  She was pretty confident that Lorelai would have Elliot fed, bathed and asleep before she got home. She was already exhausted and still had homework to do, she started to second-guess her decision but by the time she saw the WELCOME TO STARS HOLLOW sign, she had convinced herself that Yale was the right thing to do.

She noticed the lights off when she pulled in the driveway.  It was already 9pm and all she wanted to do was sleep.  When she went inside she found her mom, asleep on the couch.  She slowly shook her awake.

“I’m home.”

“mmmmmkay.” Lorelai’s eyes opened for a split second and closed again. Rory decided not to disturb her mother further and headed into the kitchen to start some homework.  By the time she crawled into bed, it was well after midnight and she had another long day ahead of her.

She would be commuting to Yale on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, The clock woke her at 6:30 am and the first thing she noticed was that Elliot wasn’t in his bed. It took her a moment to clear her head and then she heard her mother and Elliot in the kitchen talking about going to Luke’s for breakfast.  Rory got herself out of bed and joined them in the kitchen.

“Morning.” She leaned over and kissed Elliot on the head.

“Hi mommy,” He looked up at her. “Go to Luke’s.”

“Does Mommy want to join us?” Lorelai looked at Rory

“Sure, let me shower and we can go.”

Rory headed off to shower and change, a hot shower was just what she needed to get her day started. When she re-entered the kitchen, she noticed that her bag was already packed and ready.

“Let’s hit the road.”

The three of them headed off to Luke’s before Rory had to leave for class.  The diner was unusually quiet and that suited Rory just fine. They talked about their day and Elliot told Rory all about making an apple pie with Babette the day before and that one of the gnomes was sad because it had rained and the ground around him got soggy. She loved to see his excitement over every little thing; Lorelai was going to take him on a ride through the grounds of the new Inn in a wagon and Sookie was going to meet them and have a picnic lunch. Rory wished she could join them on their picnic and walk but Yale called.  She checked her watch and realized she needed to get on the road to stay ahead of traffic.

“Ok kiddo, Mommy’s gotta go to school. Give me a kiss.” She leaned down and met Elliot in a kiss goodbye. “I love you, buddy. See you later.”

“Bye mommy.”  Lorelai and Elliot waved to Rory as she walked out the door.

Once in the car, Rory turned the radio up listening for a traffic report.  As she pulled out of Stars Hollow, she hoped that there wouldn’t be much traffic.  She was going to need another coffee before her class or she would never stay awake.  Luke had given her a to-go cup before she left and that would be gone before she got to campus. Traffic wasn’t too bad and Rory got to campus with plenty of time to spare. She headed off to the coffee cart across campus, her new favorite place.

“Well, we meet again.” Rory turned to see the guy from yesterday walking towards her.

“Hi, Finn, right?”

“Yes, and its Rory, is it not?”

“It is.”

“May I accompany you to the coffee cart?”

Rory wasn’t sure what his deal was but it was nice to have someone to talk to, especially at 8:15am. “Sure, why not.”

“Well Miss Rory, are you new here? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”

“I just started, yesterday.”

“Ah, I’m recently returned myself. Some friends and I took a semester to see the world, sadly all good things must come to an end and we returned.”

“That sounds exciting. Did you backpack?”

Rory thought back to the plans her and Lorelai had made to backpack across Europe, Elliot had changed that plan, but they were hoping to take him along one day.

“Backpack? No, we sailed a yacht. Well, we had someone sail us on a yacht.” He said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Rory was acutely aware of how much she didn’t fit in with the rich kids of Yale.  “Where did you sail to?”

“All over really but we ended our journey in Fiji.  Wonderful people in Fiji, really divine but Yale called.” Finn paused “Tell me about you Miss….do you have a last name?”

“I do.  Do you?”

“A gentleman never tells his secrets.”

“Neither does a lady.”

“Touché.” He liked her spunk. “Well Miss Rory, tell me about you.”

“Not much to tell,” Rory ordered her coffee before continuing on. “I live in a small town, I’m commuting to school 3 days a week and this is my favorite coffee cart.”

“You’re driving here every day? Why don’t you stay on campus? There are some pretty fantastic parties here. You should really think about it.”

“I have commitments back home.”

“Ah, a gentleman caller?”

“I don’t know if I’d call him that, but he is a boy and he is pretty special to me.” Rory figured it was best to not jump into the mommy conversation.

“Well, may I walk you to class? Perhaps buy you lunch later?”

Rory thought it was nice of him but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. “I’m not sure….”

“I promise to be on my best behavior. If it makes you feel better, I’m more into redheads than brunettes so I promise to not hit on you.”

Rory smiled, “In that case, sure, why not?”

“Wonderful. Now where are you headed?”

“American Literature.”

“Do you have Casen? She’s a dreadful human being, but boy does she know her literature.”

“No I have Waitts.”

“Don’t know about him.”

“He’s a published author so I’m hoping he knows what he’s doing.”

“You can hope.”  They were getting closer to her class, “What are you planning to major in?”

“Journalism. I’d like to be a reporter, the next Christiane Amanpour.”

“That’s quite a goal. Big shoes to fill.”

“I can do it. I’m determined.” Rory stopped outside of the classroom. “So what about you, what are you majoring in?”

“Business Administration, specifically Mergers and Acquisitions.”

“Wow. Go big or go home.”

“It’s for dear old dad; he’d like me to take over the family business or at least the U.S. offices. He’d like to return to the homeland.”

Rory checked her watch, “Thank you for the walk but I should go in.”

“Lunch?”

“Ummm sure. I have another class after this one; can we meet at 1pm?”

“Do you know where the pub is?”

“No. Is it far?”

“It’s just off campus. Why don’t I drive us there, where can I meet you at 1pm?”

“I have a class in Weston Hall and I want to drop my books in my car before we go.”

“Perfect. I’ll meet you at your car, where are you parked?”

“Lot 2.”

“Well love, I will see you shortly.”

“See you then.”

Rory entered the classroom and looked for a seat close to the front. As she sat down, her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a photo message from Lorelai.  Elliot was laying on the blanket, arms and legs sprawled out, the note simply read ‘Tough Life.” She smiled at the image and turned her attention to the professor who had entered. She spent the next 2 hours listening to the professor discuss the importance of American Literature. As she left class at 11am, she decided to call her mom to check on Elliot before her next class.

“Babes in Toyland, how may I help you?”

Rory smiled. “Hi Mom. How’s Elliot?”

“He’s good. He was a little cranky so we ran around the Inn for a while and he just fell asleep so I’m waiting on him to wake up.  Sookie should be here soon for our picnic.  How’s your day going, sweets?”

“Good. I think I made a new friend.”

“You think?”

“I don’t know. He’s nice; we met yesterday at the coffee cart.  He found me again this morning. We had a nice conversation and we’re meeting for lunch. Apparently he’s into redheads so he won’t hit on me.”

“I like him already.” Lorelai could hear Rory giggle.

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

“It’s only your second day, babe. You’ll meet people. I promise.”

“I know. I have to get to my next class. Kiss Elliot for me.”

“Will do. Enjoy your lunch and be careful coming home tonight.”

“Will do.  Bye.” Rory waited for her mother to say goodbye and hung up the phone. She walked into her next class, Journalism I and for the next hour, took notes and hung on the professor’s every word.  It was interesting but she was also getting sleepy, the monotone of the professor’s voice was only adding to her exhaustion.

After dropping her bag in her car, she leaned against her car to wait for Finn to pick her up. When a sleek, black Escalade pulled into the parking lot, she figured that had to be him and as he slowed down, she knew for sure.

“Hello love.” Finn greeted her when she opened the door. “Your chariot awaits.”

Rory climbed in. “Nice car.”

“Thank you.  Now the pub is pretty much the best place to hang out. Everyone goes to the pub, you’ll meet a lot of people, some better than others.”

“Noted.”

They sat in comfortable silence the short drive to the pub. Once seated inside, they fell into comfortable conversation, Finn dominating the conversation with his recent adventures, yachting around the world. That suited Rory just fine, as she wasn’t sure what to talk about, she was out of her league with Finn, but he seemed like someone she could be friends with and she knew her mother would love him.

“So tell me about you?”

Rory was pulled from her thoughts by his question. “Not much to tell, I haven’t traveled extensively, and I live in a small town, Stars Hollow, with my mom. I grew up there, it’s a really close community, and they’re great people. Some are eccentric and I wouldn’t have them any other way. My mom and her best friend Sookie are opening an Inn, Luke’s Diner has the BEST coffee in Connecticut, and we have a festival for just about everything.  Actually, I think you’d fit right in.”

The first thing Finn noticed was that her eyes sparkled as soon as she started to talk about her home. “Well I may have to make a visit to this Stars Hollow.”

“Whoa, we just met. I’m not ready for strangers to invade my town.” 

“One day.”

“One day.” They fell into a comfortable silence when their food was delivered.

Halfway through their meal, Finn decided to restart his inquisition. He was intrigued by Rory, she wasn’t the typical society airhead that he usually encountered.  Maybe it was the years of boarding schools and being pushed off on household help, a nanny or just about anyone but his parents but she was refreshing and he enjoyed talking to her. 

“So why did you choose Yale?”

Rory looked up at his question, “I was originally going to Harvard but plans changed and Yale was closer to home and I could commute. How about you? What brought you to Yale?”

“Ah, I’m a legacy.”

“A legacy?”

“Yes, a legacy. You see, love, my father was here from the homeland for university, Yale. He met my mother here and after they graduated, she followed him back home.  I really didn’t have much of a choice; my decision was decided before I was born.”

“Wow.  I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”

“It’s not so bad. I have the best mates you could ask for; I’ll introduce you one day. I also made a new friend at a coffee cart.” He winked at Rory.

“Well I, for one, am glad I made a new friend at the coffee cart.” She smiled. “You’re my first Yale friend – my first Yalie.”

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

They finished their meal and Finn dropped his black card, treating Rory to her first meal at the Pub.  He promised there would be other times she could pay. Once they returned to campus, Rory headed to her last class of the day, Psychology I and she was refreshed and focused.  By the end of the day, she was ready to go home and snuggle her baby boy. It had been a long 2 days, she only had to get through 2 classes the next day and she would be off for 4 days. She arrived home to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her.

“Hey kiddo.”

“Hey mom.”

“How’s school?”

“It’s a lot harder than I thought. It’s exhausting.” Rory placed her head on the table.

Lorelai smoothed the hair back off of her face. “I know it is, babe. I know.”

“How was Elliot today?”

“Good, we had a good day. He fell asleep pretty early but I don’t think he’ll wake up.” Lorelai watched Rory’s eyes begin to flutter. “Why don’t you go to sleep? You have another day to get through.”

Rory pulled her head up from the table and slowly pushed her chair back. “Good night mom.”

“Good night. Sweet dreams.”

Lorelai watched as Rory stumbled into her room and crashed into bed.  She knew Rory was determined but she needed to remind Rory that she wasn’t superwoman.

The next morning, Rory overslept and was running late to get to campus.  Her mom had coffee ready for her when she was leaving and she kissed Elliot as she ran out the door. She hated not saying a proper goodbye to him but she would be off for 4 full days and would make it up to him.  She arrived on campus and found Finn waiting with coffee cups on a bench by Lot 2.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show.” Finn handed a coffee to Rory.

“Late night. I overslept. I’d love to sit and chat but I have 15 minutes before I need to be in class. I only have 2 classes today so I’ll be gone by 12pm and home for 4 glorious days.”

“Any plans this weekend?”

“Spending time at home, sleeping, homework.” They stopped in front of her class.

“Well my dear, I will see you next week. Same time, same coffee cart?”

“Same time, same coffee cart.” Rory waved goodbye as she headed into her class.

She was never so happy to be out of class as she was 3 hours later. She headed home with the intention of spending as much time as possible with Elliot and sleeping. She noticed Lorelai and Elliot were at Luke’s as she drove into town, so she decided to stop and join them for lunch.

As the bell jingled above the door, Elliot turned and a wide smile spread across his face. “MOMMY!”

“Hey buddy.” Rory leaned down and pulled him into his arms. “How are you? I’ve missed you. I love you.” Rory covered his face in kisses as he giggled.

Luke placed a cup of coffee on the table for her. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Rory sat down with Elliot on her lap. “It’s so good to be home. This has been the longest week.”

“Well you’re off now for a few days. Enjoy it.”

Rory smiled at her mom, “I will.”

Luke placed their food on the table and all conversation ceased. 

Over the next 4 days Rory spent every waking moment with Elliot. They toured the new Inn with Lorelai, played in the yard, Babette invited them over to bake a pie, which Elliot loved and they watched movies. It was very low-key and it was just the refresh Rory needed after the week of school. By the time Wednesday morning rolled around, she was ready to face another week and she was looking forward to seeing Finn. It was a bright point in her days, with her limited free time on campus, he was the only friend she had made so far and it was nice to know at least one person.


	5. Chapter 5

**_October_ **

Since the first day Rory had met Finn, he met her every day at the coffee cart. They got along like they had known each other for years. Rory had yet to mention that she had a little boy at home but she realized she couldn’t keep it a secret much longer, they had become really good friends in a short time and she hated keeping Elliot a secret.  Now was as good a time as any since Finn was begging to come to the Fall Festival since she had mentioned it a few days ago.

They were having their usual coffee in the morning when she decided to officially invite him to the Fall Festival.

“So since you’ve been asking, the Fall Festival is on Saturday.  If you would like to visit, you’re welcome to join us. 

“Of course! I can’t wait to see this quaint little town you speak of so fondly. 

“It’s a fun place.  There is one thing I need to tell you before you come to visit.”

“What’s that?”

“There is something you don’t know about me.  A big something.”

Finn’s eyes widen, “….and that would be?

“I have a son. A 2 year old.”

Finn got quiet for a moment. “A son?”

“Yes, his name is Elliot and he’s 2.”

“Why have you not mentioned him before?”

“Elliot is my entire world but I wanted to be more than just Elliot’s mom. I wanted to be Rory.”

“Well I can’t wait to meet the little guy. 

Rory smiled. “I’m sure he’ll love you.”

“What time shall I arrive?”

“Festival starts at noon, so any time after 11am we should have ourselves together. You can still back out you know.”

“Not a chance. I’m looking forward to this, and I’m hoping it’ll make you reconsider my offer to attend my birthday party.”

“I told you, I have commitments in Stars Hollow, that’s why I don’t live on campus.”

“I’m assuming that commitment is Elliot.”

“Yes, he’s my commitment.”

“Well I guess I’ll just have to impress that mother of yours and maybe she’ll babysit.”

“She already babysits….a lot.”

“We shall see.”

Finn looked at his watch, “Well darling, it’s time for you to head to class and I have to meet some friends for a meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Actually, no. Elliot has a doctor’s appointment and one of my classes was cancelled so I’m skipping out on the other one. I’ll text you my address and directions.”

“Perfect. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

“Bye.” Rory headed into class and Finn headed off to meet his friends, Logan and Colin. 

It was time to plan the next Life & Death Brigade event. He hadn’t yet mentioned Rory to his friends, as far as they were aware, he slept until noon each day.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring Rory into their circle, he was fairly confident she would fit in with no problem, he just wasn’t sure if they were ready for someone not in the society inner circle. Money and status were the common thread among most everyone in their circle of friends, boarding schools, vacations, the same people always crossed each other’s paths; it was just the way things were. Rory would be new, different and he wasn’t sure if it would work out; He’d hate to lose one friend because of the others. He would only introduce her to them if she attended his birthday, he wouldn’t have a choice at that point and he hoped his friends would be open to a new non-society friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**_Saturday_ **

Rory, Lorelai and Elliot were dressed and ready, waiting on Finn to arrive.  They had decided to go to Luke’s for lunch before hitting the festival. 

“Rich boy is here!” Lorelai yelled from the living room. 

Rory came out of her bedroom, Elliot following behind. She could already hear her mother at the door.

“Hi, you must be Finn.  Come on in.” Lorelai motioned for Finn to come in. “I’m Lorelai.” She shut the door behind him. “Welcome to Stars Hollow.”

Rory came around the corner. “Hey. Did you have any trouble finding us?”

Finn turned at her voice. “No, I did not. Lovely little town you have here.”

Rory could feel Elliot hiding his face behind her legs.  She reached down and picked him up. “Elliot this is mommy’s friend Finn.  Finn, this is my little boy, Elliot.”

Finn reached his hand over in a high five and Elliot buried his head in Rory’s shoulder shyly and then reached over and smacked Finn’s hand.

“Well little guy, why don’t we head out and you can show me this town of yours?”

Elliot wiggled in Rory’s arms until she placed him on the floor.  He reached for Finn’s hand and pulled him towards the door.\

  
“We’re going to head to Luke’s for lunch before we hit the festival, is that cool with you?” Lorelai opened the door for everyone to leave the house.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Finn said as he was being pulled out of the door by Elliot.

They headed off towards Luke’s, Finn and Elliot holding hands walking slightly in front of Rory & Lorelai.

“Elliot seems to like him.” Lorelai pointed out.

“He’s really cool. I’m glad I ran into him at the coffee cart, he’s been a bright spot on campus.”

“I’m glad you’re making friends, I know it’s not easy.”

Finn slowed his step until they were all walking together.

“So, love, why did you never mention your last name was Gilmore? Is that Gilmore as in the Hartford Gilmores?”

Lorelai looked at Rory in utter shock, she had never told him her last name but she had invited him to town AND introduced him to her son.

“You never told him our last name?” Lorelai stopped walking and stared at Rory. “Wow. How’d you manage that one?”

“It never came up." 

Before they could finish their conversation, Finn piped in again. 

“So love, is it Gilmore as in the Hartford Gilmores?”

Rory looked to her mother, who had a wistful look on her face.

Lorelai took a moment before replying. “Once upon a time.”

Finn didn’t know much of the Gilmores, they were a nice couple, and he had been dragged by his parents to a few of their parties. He wasn’t familiar with all the family dynamics of Hartford, growing up in Australia and spending much of his time in boarding schools left him without much of a commentary on families of Hartford. He’d have to ask Colin or Logan if the Gilmores had any children. He returned his focus to their conversation.

“So tell me about this Luke’s, I believe you mentioned the coffee should be on a throne, the cheeseburgers are the best in Connecticut, and nothing tastes as good as the chocolate chip pancakes.”

“That about sums it up.” Lorelai smiled. “Luke keeps us in coffee and if you’ve spent any time with Rory, you know that’s imperative to our survival.”

“I’ve gathered that.” Finn motioned to the town square where the fall festival was taking shape, “This is much more than I expected.”

“Let me guess, you were expecting a few scarecrows, a pumpkin or 2?” Both Lorelai and Rory looked to Finn for an answer.

“Well, yes, actually.” Finn looked at Rory, “You never cease to amaze me.”

“We try.”

Finn held the door open to Luke’s for all of them to enter. 

“Hey Luke.”  Rory and Lorelai said at the same time, falling into giggles.

“Hi.” Elliot raised his hand in a wave.

Finn looked in Luke’s direction. “Hello.”

“Grab a seat, I’ll be right over.” Luke walked over to the counter, handed Cesar a ticket and grabbed 3 coffee cups, a bottle of apple juice and a sippy cup.

Finn watched with rapt attention as Lorelai grabbed the booster seat that sat next to the door and chose a table by the window. As he watched, it was like a choreographed dance, Luke walked to the table, placed the coffee pot on the table, opened the apple juice, poured it into sippy cup, tightened the lid, handed it to Elliot and then poured coffee into the cups while Lorelai attached the booster seat to the chair and Rory held Elliott. They clearly had a system down and it didn’t seem that they even realized it.

Once everyone was settled, Luke handed Finn a menu, “I’ll give you a minute.”

Lorelai and Rory stared at Finn, “I take it you ladies don’t need a menu.”

“No we have them memorized.”

“Ah, well, what would you recommend?”

“Cheeseburgers and fries.” They state simultaneously, falling into a fit of giggles.

Finn looked over the menu. “Well, a lady never lies. I guess that’s what I’ll have.”

Lorelai grabbed a napkin and before she could wave it in the air, Luke was at the table.

“What can I get you?”

“3 of the usual.”

“Coming up.”

  
As Luke walked away, attention was turned back to festival.

“Miss Patty’s Dance of the Cornucopia starts at 2. Andrew said the Legend of Sleepy Hollow reading is starting at 8:00, the horseman rides at 8:30.” Lorelai looked at Rory, “Miss Patty told me we HAVE to bring Elliot to the show.”

“Of course she did.  She wanted him to be the turkey this year, my little butterball.”

“You’re having the headless horseman? Well, this day just got infinitely better.” Finn interrupted the conversation.

“Of course, how can you have a fall festival without the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the horseman?”

“It would be like Christmas without Santa!” Lorelai feigned shock. “You can’t do that – it’s just wrong.”

“My mistake. Please forgive me.”

“Hmmm, you’re cute….I’ll give you a pass this time.” Lorelai winked at Finn.

Luke returned to the table and placed their plates down, “Here you go.”

Conversation remained light as they ate their meals. The square was filling with people, all enjoying the festivities. Elliot was getting restless and thankfully, the meal was finished before he melted down. Finn headed to the counter to pay and Luke waved him off.

  
“On the house.”  
  
“Thank you.” Finn turned to the girls, “I’m ready to hit the festival.”

“Let’s go.” Lorelai headed out the door, holding Elliot’s hand.

“Well love, I’m intrigued by your quaint little corner of the world.” He held his arm out and Rory linked her arm through.

“We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Rory noticed her mom slowing down to talk to Babette & Morey. “Hi Babette, Morey.” Rory pulled Finn over, “This is my friend from Yale, Finn.”

“Hello sugar.” Babette held out her hand, which Finn grabbed in his own and kissed. A slight blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Hello love.” Finn held his hand out to Morey. “Hello.”

Morey shook his hand, “Welcome.”

Rory got caught up in a conversation with Babette and Lorelai, Morey picked up Elliott and they were caught up in a conversation all their own.  Finn took a moment to look around, the town square was decorated with more autumn decorations than he had ever seen. It was so very different from anything he had experienced and he was in awe.

“Earth to Finn. Come in.” Finn’s attention was pulled from his thoughts by Rory’s hand waving in front of his face.

“Sorry love, I was taken in by the sights.  Are we ready?”

“We’re ready when you are.” Lorelai motioned to the square. “The festival awaits.”

The next few hours were spent decorating pumpkins, watching the pie eating contest, enjoying Miss Patty’s show, snacking on caramel apples, pumpkin pie and all kinds of other fall treats. Elliott had taken to Finn quickly, insisting on sitting in his lap for the show and holding his hand as they walked the festival.  The day was turning cool and crisp by the time the sun was setting.  They were heading to find a seat near the gazebo for the reading of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Elliot was being carried by Finn, his head resting on Finn’s shoulder.

After finding a spot close to the gazebo, the four of them sat down and waited for the reading of the story to begin.

“I must tell you, I have had a wonderful time today.” Finn placed his hand on Rory’s leg, “Thank you Miss Gilmore for a fine day out.”

“You’re welcome but it’s not over yet. We still have a story to hear.”

As if on cue, a small spotlight came up on the gazebo, “Good evening ladies and gentleman.” Taylor stood bathed in the spotlight, “Tonight, we begin here in our beloved Stars Hollow listening to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

A quiet fell over the crowd as everyone listened to Taylor begin the story. As he read the story, a noise could be heard in the distance, as it got closer, the sounds could be distinguished as running hoofs. Suddenly, a gasp rose from the crowd as the Headless Horseman came galloping through town and circled the square before continuing his ride out of town.

Finn noticed that Rory and Lorelai’s eyes lit up as the story was read and both were enthralled by the headless horseman coming through town. Finn was in awe, he could understand why Rory loved it here; there was a sense of community that he had never experienced before.

By the time the story ended, it was time for everyone to head home; Elliott had already fallen asleep on Finn’s shoulder. “Let me take him.” Rory reached over for him.

“I got him. He’s fine.” Finn continued to hold Elliott in his arms. “That was bloody brilliant. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thanks for joining us.”

After getting back to the house, Lorelai hugged Finn goodbye and took Elliott inside, leaving Rory and Finn on the porch.

“Seriously, thank you for coming out here. I had a great time.”

“Me too, love, me too.” Finn reached over to hug Rory, “I’ll be seeing you same time, same place on Wednesday?”

“You will. Drive safe.” Rory hugged Finn and watched as he got in his car and drove away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

Wednesday rolled around much too soon for Rory’s liking. The rest of the weekend had been spent lounging around; Elliot was tired out and slept in, giving Rory time to sleep in as well. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept in until 10am.  In addition to cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping, Rory found herself being lazy and just hanging out with her little boy, something she rarely had time for anymore.

Sookie had dropped by for lunch on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the Inn.  The Inn would be opening in just a few short months and they still had plenty to do. Rory spent the afternoons outside with Elliot playing on the swing set that they had found for sale in Woodboro a few weeks before.  

By the time Wednesday morning came around, Rory was well rested and ready to face another week at Yale.  She had received a text from Finn over the weekend, asking once again if she would be attending his party. She hadn’t yet responded and she didn’t know what to tell him. When she mentioned it to her mother, Lorelai offered to keep Elliot overnight if Rory wanted to attend. Rory knew it would be good to meet people, but she was also unsure of herself, she didn’t know if she was ready to brave a party by herself.

As she walked on campus she noticed Finn sitting on their bench with 2 cups of coffee.

“Ah, you’re here. I was beginning to think you had ditched me.” Finn handed her one of the steaming cups.

“Traffic.” Rory took a sip of her coffee.

“So have you thought anymore about my party? I really want you to come, you’ll have a good time, I promise.”

Rory looked at him and had to giggle, he was give her a pouty lip and puppy dog eyes. “I’m not sure. I just really don’t know.  I don’t fit in with your friends.”

“You won’t know unless you try.” Finn checked his watch. “I have to meet some friends, walk you to class?”

“I’m going to sit here awhile. Thanks though.”

“Anytime.” Finn bowed slightly before heading off.

Rory pulled out a notebook and started a pro-con list about attending Finn’s party while she waited to head off to class.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~

Finn knocked on Logan’s door, he was early for their meeting about the next Life & Death Brigade outing but he needed some information and he was sure Logan would have it.

Logan opened the door, surprised to see Finn almost an hour early for their meeting. “Hey what’s up? You’re early, really early.”

Finn stepped into the room.  “I need some information and I think you have the answers.”

“I have the answers?”

“Yes or at least you can find out the answers.”

“Ok….shoot.”

“You are familiar with the Gilmore family, correct?”

“Yes, my parents are friends with Richard and Emily.”

“Did they ever have any children?”

Logan looked at Finn cautiously. “Yes. A daughter, she’s quite the urban legend in the Hartford circle.”

“What do you know about her?”

“Where are you going with this?”

“I’m merely curious.  I heard the name recently and would like to gather some information.” Finn sat on the couch and waited for Logan to fill him in.

“Well, I don’t know what is true or not.  No one really knows except for them. I honestly don’t know what happened to their daughter.  They don’t talk about her or acknowledge her in any way.  She was the ultimate wild child, breaking all the rules, drinking, possibly drugs, picked up by the cops a few times, rumor has it they couldn’t even send her to boarding school, no one would accept her.”

Finn could not imagine the Lorelai Gilmore he met as the girl Logan was describing.

“She got pregnant at 16 and ran away with the baby a year or 2 later. Christopher Hayden was the father but he stayed in Hartford when she left. They never heard from her again, no one knows if she’s dead or alive.  She did what most of us would like to do, just up and leave it all behind, but she actually had the guts to do it. I don’t know if any of that is true but that’s what I’ve heard. She could be some boring soccer mom somewhere, no one really knows and Richard and Emily aren’t saying.”

“Wow, she sounds interesting.”

“Like I said, an urban legend.” Logan couldn’t question Finn any further, their conversation ceased as everyone arrived and discussions began about the next Life & Death Brigade event.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Halloween_ **

Rory stood in front of the Hartford Arts Annex, a large, industrial building situated in the middle of the city.  Finn had been bugging her for weeks to attend his birthday party; he went as far as calling Lorelai himself and asking her to babysit. Once Finn promised to take care of Rory and to not let anything happen to her, Lorelai agreed to keep the baby overnight, only asking Finn to make sure Rory had a good time.

So there she stood, looking up at the Arts Annex and willing herself to go inside, she hadn’t made many friends at Yale other than Finn and her mother thought this might be good for her, a way to meet new people.

Finn had described the party as Good & Bad and when Rory couldn’t think of an outfit, Finn had come to Stars Hollow and helped her find one.  She looked down at her outfit and second guessed allowing Finn and her mother to work together. They had pulled her mother’s Chilton uniform out of the attic and made a few alterations. She went completely out of her element and wore a tight blouse, partially open, exposing the top of her bra, the Chilton skirt and knee-high black leather boots.  A headband with a pretty bow that matched the skirt, black nails and soft pink lip-gloss completed the look. She felt extremely self-conscious but her mother had convinced her that Halloween was meant for being someone else.

She was tempted to turn away and head back to Stars Hollow but she decided against it, she needed to do this.  Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the door and was greeted at the door by a suit-wearing devil and a vampire angel.  They checked her ID before allowing her entrance to the building and pointing her in the direction of the party.  The first room of the Arts Annex was an open floor for displays and showings with a 2nd floor balcony surrounding the room. Rory could see a DJ on the balcony and a dance floor covered with people.  The next room was smaller and had been set up with a bar and a few bar tables. She could see bathrooms down the hallway and one more room off to her right.  She decided to take a walk towards the room, seeing only flashing lights, it looked like a movie was playing.  As she got closer she realized she had been right, the room had couches and chairs scattered about with a full movie theater candy & popcorn counter.  Old Hollywood horror movies played, though now they seemed silly, it added a bit of fun.  Finn clearly spared no expense on birthdays and Rory was beginning to feel completely out of place 

“High school hooker? High society call girl?” Rory turned and was face to face with a blonde haired boy who looked like he had already had a few drinks.

“Excuse me?” Rory noticed a few things about the guy in front of her, he had a great smile, his eyes twinkled with mischief and he completely threw her off guard.

“I asked what you were, guessing by the pattern, I’m going to assume that you were at Chilton, so are you a high school hooker or high society call girl?”

Rory quickly recovered her senses, “I’m just a private school girl, innocent and sweet.”

The guy stepped closer and Rory could feel her heart start to pound. “I don’t think you’re all that innocent or sweet.”

“Well, you don’t really know me.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find the birthday boy.”

“We’ll meet again. I’m Logan, by the way.” He reached out his hand.

Rory offered her hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

She shook his hand and began to pull away. “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you that you shouldn’t talk to strangers?”

“But we’re not strangers, I just told you my name.” 

“Lola.”  She turned to walk away. “Until we meet again.”

Logan watched as she walked away in search of Finn, he was completely caught up in her.  He went on his own search for Finn, but not before stopping at the bar for a refill. 

Colin and Robert were at the bar as Logan approached. “Who was that?” Robert motioned his head in the direction Rory was walking.

“Her name is Lola and she’s a friend of Finn’s.”

“That outfit works for her.”  Robert took a sip from his glass.

“Don’t even think about it.” Logan’s eyes leveled at Robert.

“Ooh Huntzberger, I didn’t see her falling at your feet.”

“Stay away Robert.”

“Game on, Logan.” Robert tipped his glass in toast.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory finally found Finn on her second loop of the dance floor.  Actually, he found her and pulled her into a dance before she could pull away. She looked him up and down, he wore a tux that looked like it was made for him and with the amount of money he was worth, it most likely was.  She tried to determine which side of good and bad, he was walking a fine line. His tux was open at the collar and untucked at the waist but the jacket and pants were pressed to perfection, the shirt with the tie open and hanging around his neck and the top 2 buttons undone was just enough to imply he was a boy who could be trouble.  It wasn’t until Rory looked up that she noticed the fangs accompanying his smile and wink.  Devil in a finely tailored suit, looks good, behaves badly.

“There you are, I was beginning to think you ditched me.”

Rory relaxed into Finn’s embrace, “I was looking for you, quite the party you have going on.”

“That was the goal of this evening.  Have you been searching long? I was tied up with the bartender; he’s spending more time focusing on the female bartender than on the fine folks invited to the party.”

“Not long, there was traffic and Elliot didn’t want me to leave." 

“How is the little guy who owns your heart?”

“He’s great; I can’t get enough of him.  I’m looking forward to fall break in a few weeks and then winter break a few weeks after that.”

“Rumor has it there is a winter festival in the Hollow…..”

“Is that your way of asking for an invite?” Rory grinned at the puppy dog eyes Finn was becoming known for.

“I’m simply stating a fact; I heard there is a festival brewing.”

“How did you hear about this?”

“Ah Miss Gilmore, a gentleman never tells his secrets.”

 “I remember this conversation.” Rory smiled. “You are always welcome in ‘The Hollow’ as you call it.  I’m sure everyone would love to see you and I know Elliot has been asking about his new friend Inn.”

“Inn?” Finn laughed, “That’s a new one. I’ve never heard that before.”

“We’re working on Fs, he’s only 2 so we forgive him for not being able to say all of his letters.”

Finn continued to spin them around the dance floor. “So love, I’ve promised your mother that I would take care of you and that you would have a good time.  I plan to keep that promise, would you like a drink?”

“Do you have anything without alcohol?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“It’s my first night out without my little boy, I’m perfectly content to sit and watch a movie; I don’t get many nights to myself.”

“Well let’s see what we can round up.” Finn slowed their dancing and offered his arm to Rory to head off the dancefloor.

Rory linked her arm through his and followed him to the bar. 

As they walked towards the bar, Rory noticed the blonde guy she had spoken with earlier.  He looked to be leaving the bar and then stopped when he saw them approaching.

“We meet again.” Logan smiled at Rory and Finn looked between the 2 of them.

“Again?”

“We met when I came in.  Logan, right?”

“Yes, Lola, correct?”

Finn was about to correct him, when he felt Rory squeeze his arm, clearly a sign to not say anything.

“Yes, this is my new friend, Lola.” Finn eyed Rory with a smirk. “We met her first day on campus.”

“Finn has taken to keeping me in coffee to get me through my long days.”

Before the conversation could go further, Finn waved the bartender over. “I’ll take a Scotch neat and a Shirley Temple Black for the lady.”

Rory began to protest but Finn pressed a finger to her lips.  “Trust me, love." 

Logan watched the interaction, they were very comfortable with each other but Logan figured if they were serious, Finn would have mentioned her before.

The bartender placed their drinks on the bar and Logan reached for Rory’s before Finn could. “I believe this is yours.”

Rory took her drink and felt her face flush, “Thank you.”

Finn raised his glass, eyeing Rory to gauge her reaction to Logan. “To the dashing Aussie who stands before you!”

“To my first Yalie.” Rory raised her glass.

“In Omnia Paratus.”

Rory recognized the Latin phrase and by the looks going between them, it clearly meant something to the two guys standing in front of her. Glasses were clinked and silence settled between them.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_A few hours later._ **

Rory was amazed at the amount of alcohol Finn had consumed and was still able to stand as well as be completely cognizant of what was happening.  His alcohol consumption was on par with the Gilmore Girls food and coffee consumption.  She knew there was a reason they all got along so well.  Rory had mingled with some of the other guests but felt extremely out of place.  She had curled up on one of the couches watching the old movies. She was awake well past her bedtime and she was starting to feel it.  Keeping up with a 2 year old and going to school full time was exhausting.  She was biding her time until Finn was ready to leave; he was also her place to crash, so she was there until he decided to leave.

“There she is.” Logan found Rory curled up on one of the couches, her boots lying on the floor and she looked to be on the verge of falling asleep. “Are you falling asleep on us?”

Rory blinked a few times, “I’m trying to stay awake but this is way past my bedtime.”

Logan looked at his watch, “It’s barely 1am.”

“I keep a different schedule, I’m commuting to campus 3 days a week so my day starts around 6:30am and I’m in bed by 9pm.”

“Why don’t you just move on campus, you’re missing out on the nightlife.”

“I have commitments back home, so I’ve arranged my classes to be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”

“Commitments, as in boyfriend?” Logan sat down on the couch next to Rory’s outstretched feet.

“Not a boyfriend.” Rory paused, “My mom and her best friend recently opened an Inn, so I help out where and when I can.” It wasn’t a lie, it was just leaving out one very adorable 2 year old.

“You’re not driving home tonight, right?”

Rory giggled, “No. I’m staying with Finn.”

“There something going on between you two? You’re not really his type.”

  
Rory looked taken aback, “This conversation took a turn.”

“That’s not what I meant; Finn is usually into redheads or blondes. I meant no disrespect.”

“No there’s nothing going on between us, like I said earlier, he keeps me in coffee on campus. He’s been a lifesaver.”

“Good.”

Rory let the conversation drop, she didn’t want to continue talking and she wasn’t sure what to say.  Her experience with boys ended with Dean, Stars Hollow was a small town and 16 with a baby, really didn’t allow for many opportunities to meet new people and date. Her mother hoped Yale would change that, but Rory was content with Elliot, she wasn’t looking for anything except maybe a few new friends.

Logan watched as Rory fought to stay awake and when she finally put her head down on the couch, he headed to find Finn. He found him leaning on the bar talking to a redhead who looked like she had one too many drinks.

“Hey, Finn.” Finn turned at Logan’s voice and excused himself from the girl trying to drape herself over him.

“Ah, thanks for the save, Mate.”

“Your friend Lola is in need of a save, she’s falling asleep on the couch. I can take her back and drop her at your place if you want.”

“No. I’ll collect her and head out. It’s for the best that this party winds down.  People are just getting sloppy now.”

Logan followed Finn and watched as Finn gently woke Rory and helped her walk to the front door and out into the early morning hours. The cool air abruptly woke her, causing her to shiver.  Logan shrugged off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders as they waited for Finn’s driver to meet them at the curb.

“Thank you.” Rory pulled the jacket tighter around her.

“My pleasure.”

Finn’s driver pulled up to the curb and Logan opened the backdoor for Rory while Finn headed to the backdoor on the other side of the car.

Rory went to shrug out of the coat and Logan stopped her. “I’ll get it back from Finn. It was a pleasure to meet you Lola.”

Rory smiled. “Pleasure to meet you too Logan, but my name isn’t Lola.  It’s Rory.”

Before either could react, Finn leaned over and pulled the door shut.

“Thanks, Mate. I owe you one.”

Rory was giggling as they pulled away from the curb.

“Lola?” Finn fell into a fit of giggles with Rory.

“I had to think on my feet.  I wasn’t ready to introduce myself; he caught me off guard as soon as I came in. He came on a little strong, I got nervous.”

“He means no harm.  He’s just not use to women not falling at his feet.”

“Well, I don’t usually fall at anyone’s feet.”

“You’re not like all the girls we know.  You’re different.”

Rory yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m 18 years old with a 2 year old; I’m used to being different.”

Finn leaned his head on Rory’s, “Different is what makes us…well us.”

Finn heard Rory sigh and realized she had finally fallen completely asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_10 am._ **

Rory slowly opened her eyes and tried to clear her vision, taking in her surroundings.  She tried to piece together the night before, she remembered leaving the party and telling Logan her name wasn’t Lola, she remembered the beginning of the car ride and then she just went blank.  She stretched, noting that she was in big bed, covered by blankets in a very dark room she did not recognize.  It took her a minute to process that she was in Finn’s room.  She had figured when he said she could crash at his place, she would take the couch.  She sat up to find Finn, stretched out across a futon on the opposite side of the room, she took note of the room darkening blinds and curtains and realized she hadn’t slept that good in a long time.

Finn mumbled something in his sleep and Rory went to get up she noticed sweats and a t-shirt on the nightstand with a note, _Feel free to get comfortable – I’ll take you to your car later._ She assumed it was something Finn had written before he passed out.  She grabbed the clothes and headed to the in-room bathroom. Clearly Finn had overnight guests often enough that there was a brand new toothbrush still in the package on the counter. Rory brushed her teeth, changed clothes and ran her fingers through her hair before attempting to pull it back into a ponytail.

She was quiet leaving the room, she didn’t want to wake Finn and figured she would be able to find something to drink or eat in the kitchen. _‘So this is how the other half lives.’_ She thought as she pulled his door shut behind her.   The suite was huge, with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and efficiency kitchen.  The first thing she noticed was that it was quite the opposite of the quirky personality she’d come to know and love from Finn.  The furniture had a sleek modern look in neutral tones; a dark brown couch was accented by 2 beige oversized arm chairs. The coffee table was weathered wood with a variety of sailing knots laid under the glass top; the matching end tables had wine corks instead of sailing knots under the glass. The largest TV Rory had ever seen took up an entire wall, a DVD & Blu-Ray player and every imaginable gaming system sat in the glass case below the TV. The walls were painted white with pictures stretched onto canvas of beaches, oceans and sailboats.  Rory imagined they were places Finn or his roommate had visited. 

She headed into the kitchen to see if there were any bottles of water and was surprised to find the refrigerator covered in magnets and photos.  It wasn’t something she expected from guy roommates but was finding that you never know what to expect when Finn is involved.  She grabbed a bottle of water and headed back into the living room.  She was coming around the corner when his roommate’s door opened. 

A petite blonde girl came out of the room in yoga pants and a sweatshirt. “Um, hi.” She looked in the doorway behind her. “I didn’t realize Finn had company.” 

“Yeah, he let me crash here after his party.” Rory looked around uncomfortably.

The girl closed the door and stepped further into the living room. “I’m sorry, that’s so rude. Let me start again.” She stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m Stephanie.”

“Hi, I’m Rory.” She shook the girl’s hand. “Are you Finn’s roommate?”

“Oh gosh no. Colin is his roommate but he’s still passed out. I’m friends with the whole crew.”

“So Colin is your boyfriend?”

“Oh no, we’re just friends….sometimes with benefits.” Stephanie looked slightly embarrassed. “I would love to stay and chat but I’m on my way to a yoga class – maybe I’ll see you around?”

“Um, maybe.”

“Great. See you soon!”

As quickly as she had come in, she was gone and Rory was once again, left to herself in the big room.  She reached for her cellphone she had placed on the table and decided to call home.

“MOMMY!”

Rory couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at the sound of Elliot’s voice on the other end of the phone.

“Hi buddy. How are you?”

“Good. Mommy, home?”

“Mommy will be home a little later.  Can I talk to Lola?”

“Ok. Love Mommy.”

“I love you too.” Rory could hear shuffling on the other end of the phone.

“Hi sweets. How was your first college party?”

“It was good.” Rory looked around the room she was currently sitting in, “They sure do things differently here at Yale.”

“Uh oh, what happened?”

“Nothing.  I’m just, I’m out of place. I don’t belong here.”

“What makes you say that?”  Lorelai’s heart broke, she knew the life she had given Rory wouldn’t live up to high society but she hoped it wouldn’t present itself quite so soon.

“I’m currently standing in a dorm suite that looks like something straight out of a hotel. They have real furniture, not like the furniture you see in tv dorm rooms. Some girl just came out of Finn’s roommate’s room in yoga pants. Yoga pants, mom!”

Lorelai had to smile, of course Rory would chose an item of clothes to judge an entire group of people on.  “Did you have fun at the party?”

Rory hesitated, “Yeah, I think so.”

“You think?”

“It’s so different, I don’t fit in here.”

“You’ve said that twice now, why don’t you fit in? Did something happen?”

“No. For the first time, I noticed that I really don’t fit here, I don’t drive a fancy car, I don’t have a fancy house, I’m not footloose and fancy free.”

Now it was Lorelai’s turn to make a face, “Footloose and fancy free?”

“You know what I mean.  These people walk around and don’t have a care in the world, because they don’t. They throw money around, his birthday party was like Elliot’s first birthday times a million. It was at this huge arts annex and had multiple rooms and floors, different things going on in each one. I just, I can’t compete.”

“Don’t try to compete; Finn is your friend because of who you are, not what you have or what you can buy.”

“He does have a really cute friend.”

A lightbulb went off in Lorelai’s head, this had nothing to do with money, this was all about a guy.

“Does this really cute friend have a name?”

“Logan. I didn’t catch a last name.”

“So what did Logan without a last name look like?”

“He was cute.”

“You already said that.”

“He definitely thinks he’s special.”

“Did you talk to Logan?”

“For a minute, I lied; I told him my name was Lola.”

Lorelai looked down at Elliot, who was standing next to her at the refrigerator playing with magnets and just shook her head. “Your mommy is so silly sometimes.” She whispered.

“I hope I don’t see him again, he seemed very conceited.” Rory shifted to get more comfortable on the couch. “Finn is still asleep and he has to drive me back to my car.  Hopefully I won’t be too late.”

“It’s fine.  Elliot and I are going to meet Sookie in a little while and then we’ll probably play outside, it’s still nice out, we should soak it up while we still can.”

“Ok, well I’ll definitely be home in time for dinner, maybe we can all hit Luke’s?”

“Sounds good.” Lorelai paused, “I’m glad you had fun; don’t let one Richie Rich party tarnish your Yale career.”

“I know.”

“I love you, kid.”

“I love you too, Mom. Thanks for keeping Elliot for me.”

“No problem.” Lorelai paused and held the phone away from herself, “Say bye Mommy.” Rory could hear in the background.

“Bye mommy, love you.”

“Bye buddy. Love you too.”  Rory hung up the phone and sat on the couch, taking in the big room around her.  She was way out of her league and the longer she sat there, the more out of place she felt.  She looked around for a remote for the tv and when she located 3 of them, she realized it wasn’t going to be turning on the tv at home.  There were more electronics in the room than they had in their entire house.  She gave up on the tv and headed for the bookcase, books were always a safe place for her.

She spent the next hour reading through A Reporter’s Life by Walter Cronkite, totally engrossed that she didn’t notice Finn’s roommate enter the living room. He looked her over, he would have expected her to go home with Logan, she was definitely not Finn’s type and it was odd to find her sitting on the couch reading a book.  Usually, the girls they brought home were gone by morning, not making themselves at home.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

Rory was startled by the voice and dropped the book she was holding, he must be the roommate and he didn’t not look impressed that she was there.

“I’m a friend of Finn.  He let me crash here last night; he is supposed to drive me back to my car when he gets up.”

“Would you like me to call you a cab?”

Rory looked a little confused and then insulted. “No, thank you.  I’ll go see if Finn is awake.” Rory put the book on the coffee table and headed back into Finn’s room.  He was still sleeping and she hated to wake him so she got comfortable on the bed and just sat there, waiting for him to wake up or for the courage to walk back out of his room and face his roommate again.

It was another 20 minutes before Finn finally started to come out of his slumber and realized Rory was sitting on the bed.

Finn sat up and started to stretch. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“About 20 minutes, I was out in the living room but I don’t think your roommate wanted me there.”

“Did he say something?” Finn was now alert.

“No. No no no.” Rory hurried, “I just don’t think he wanted me to make myself comfortable, I shouldn’t have just taken a book off the shelf and sat on the couch to read.”

“You’re my friend and you’re welcome to make yourself comfortable any time you want.  I’ll deal with Colin.”

“I don’t want to cause a problem between you guys.”

“Not to worry.  Sometimes Colin needs a reminder of how to act towards guests.  He can be arrogant sometimes; it’s always good to knock him down a peg.”

“It’s really no big deal but I would love to head home whenever you’re up to driving me back to my car.”

“Give me 10 minutes.”

“Sounds good.”

Finn exited to the bathroom and Rory went about collecting her costume from the night before.  She would return Finn’s clothes after she washed them, she was sure he wouldn’t mind.

Almost exactly 10 minutes later, Finn stepped out of the bathroom, wide awake and ready for the day, Rory thought it must be nice to wake up well rested and bright eyed.  She hadn’t done that in months.

“What do you say we stop at the pub for lunch before you head back to the Hollow?”

Rory glanced at the time, “Yeah, I think I could do that.”

“Off we go.” Finn held open the door to his room and found Colin sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. “We’ll talk later.”

Colin looked up, rolled his eyes and went back to his paper.  Rory didn’t say anything and was happy when they were out of the building and on their way to the pub.

“So, what did you think of the party?”

“It was fun, very different than the parties I’m used to going to.”

“How so?”

“Well, most parties are for Elliot so the guest list is quite different and whole buildings are not usually rented out either.”

“How was the PARTY though, did you have fun? Did you meet any new friends?” Finn sounded like her mother.

“I did have fun. I didn’t make any new friends but I did speak to a few people so that’s a start.”

“You’ll make friends the more you hang out.”

“We’ll see.”

They entered the pub and grabbed a table in the corner, quickly putting in their order and settling in.

“What happened with Colin this morning?”

“It’s nothing. He just asked if I needed him to call me a cab.”

“He what?”

“I guess he thought I was like that girl who left his room this morning.”

“Ah. Well I’ll set him straight, you’re nothing like Stephanie.”

“She seemed nice.”

“Oh she’s lovely; she’s also been friends with benefits with Colin for years.  She wants more and he’s oblivious to it, it’s really quite sad.  I keep trying to get her to move on but she keeps going back.”

“We all make mistakes, look at me, I have a 2 year old.”

“Elliot is far from a mistake.”

“I didn’t mean he’s the mistake, I made the mistake with Dean. I lucked out that I got Elliot because he’s amazing but I was young and stupid. I wish I had him later but I didn’t, so I can’t regret him but I do regret Dean.  I’m a single, teen mom because I made a mistake with someone who wasn’t ready to own up to responsibility.”

“So tell me, LOLA” Finn smirked at Rory, “what made you change your name last night?”

Rory shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know, your friend made me nervous and it was the first thing that came into my head when he asked me my name.”

Finn had to laugh, “You don’t automatically think of your own but rather what your son calls your mom?”

Rory pushed his arm, “I got nervous. He caught me off guard.” Rory joined Finn in his laughter.

Their sandwiches were delivered and Rory dug in, not realizing how hungry she actually was, yesterday seemed so far away.  She had fun but she was definitely ready for a break from school and from rich people.  She had come to adore Finn but he was different from the rest of them, he didn’t make her feel out of place. 

“Some friends and I are going to this new jazz club that opened in Hartford, would you be interested in joining us?  It would be Friday night, so you’d already be here and I promise to get you home afterwards so you can wake up with Elliot on Saturday.”

“I don’t know.  I’ll see if I can find a sitter.”

Finn looked at her, “About that…”

“What did you do?” Rory had a feeling she knew where he was going with this.

“Well, I spoke with Lorelai and she is very supportive of you making friends, so she offered to babysit so that you can come out with us and I promised her that I would make sure you got home safe and sound afterwards.  She offered for me to stay on the couch when I bring you home, which is very thoughtful of her and much appreciated but I told her that I would hire a car in case there is drinking.”

“I can’t drink yet.”

“Correct, but I can and I don’t want to take any chances.  Please say yes.” Finn looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

“Who else is going?”

“Just some friends. You’ll have a good time, I promise.”

Rory was conflicted, she knew she should say yes but she also knew she didn’t fit in.

“Lorelai already said yes so you don’t really have an excuse this time.”

“I think I’m going to regret this.”

“I promise you won’t.” Finn grinned, “I love getting my way.”

“I hope I won’t regret this.”

“You won’t.” They collected their things and headed out after Finn slipped the waitress his black card, an act that did not go unnoticed by Rory.

By the time Rory was in her car heading home, she was running through a million scenarios of what could possibly happen. She was so caught up in “What ifs” that she was home before she knew it and Eli was sitting on the front stairs with Lorelai blowing bubbles.

“There she is!” Lorelai exclaimed when Rory stepped out of the car.

“Mommy!” Eli took off running and collided into Rory’s legs before she could get down to scoop him up in her arms.

“I missed you.” She showered Eli with kisses as he giggled.

“Welcome home, kid. Did you have fun?”

“I did.  I’m happy to be home though.”

“Eli, why don’t we show Mommy what we were playing with?”

“Come mommy.” Eli grabbed Rory’s hand and pulled her over to the front porch, she dropped her bags and then sat down next to him.

“Blow bubbles.” He held up a bubble gun and blew bubbles right in her face, she laughed and he laughed too.

“Not in the face, silly boy.” Lorelai grabbed Rory’s bags, “I’m going to head inside, you two have fun with the bubbles.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Anytime, kiddo.”

Lorelai watched as Rory and Eli ran around the yard, blowing bubbles and then running through them.  She was glad to have Rory home but she was also happy that she had been out and was attempting to be her age.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~~*

Finn was on his way back to his room when Logan called.

“What’s up, Logan?”

“Where are you? I need to talk to you.”

Finn had a suspicion of what Logan wanted to talk about and he was pretty sure it was the pretty brunette he had said goodbye to a short while ago.

“I’m on my way back to my room; I was at the pub with a friend.”

“Good. I’ll meet you there.”

“Ok. I’ll see you there.”  Finn hung up the phone and smiled to himself, _this is going to get interesting_.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Finn arrived back at his room, Colin was nowhere to be found, which suited him just fine.  He was still upset that Colin had the nerve to treat Rory like she was a one night stand.  Sure, he had his fair share of fun, but so did Colin so he was in no place to judge.  Finn was trying his hardest to help Rory make friends and feel comfortable at Yale and then Colin had to go and work against everything he had accomplished.

He settled in, waiting for Logan to show up and begin the inquisition into Rory.  Finn thought they would get along well but Logan wasn’t into girlfriends or even keeping female friends and Rory wasn’t into friends with benefits so there was really no way it would work but he’d love watching Logan squirm.

Without knocking Logan entered the room and found Finn lounging on the couch with is eyes closed.

“I know you’re not asleep.”

“Resting my eyes, my friend, it was a late night.”  Finn sat up, “You said we needed to talk, what can I help you with?”

Logan sat in a chair opposite Finn, “I just wanted to find out more about your friend, Lo-Rory.” He caught himself remembering she had changed her name just as they were leaving.

“What would you like to know?” Finn couldn’t help the smirk on his face.

“Is there something going on with you two?”

“Just friendship. Was that all?”

Finn watched Logan get uncomfortable; this was getting good.

“She goes to Yale? I’ve never seen her around.”

“She’s new, it’s her first year.”

“Does she live on campus?”

“No, she commutes three days a week.” This could go on forever if Logan only asked one question at a time, Finn let him continue, having nothing else to worry about at the moment.

“I’ve never seen her around, where’s she from?”

“A small town, not too far from here.  She’s a very private person, shy.”

“What is she majoring in?”

“Journalism.”

“Does she work on the Yale Daily News?”  This could be incentive for Logan to actually go to the newspaper and pretend to do work to please his father.

“No.”

“Is she interested in doing so, I could probably help her get a spot?”

“No, I don’t think so.  She had obligations at home, which is why she commutes.” Finn almost felt bad for Logan, looking dejected, he didn’t usually have women ignore him or not show some interest.  He decided to put Logan out of his misery, “She’s coming to the jazz club on Friday. She doesn’t have many friends at Yale so I’ve invited her to spend some time with me and my friends.”

“She have a boyfriend at home?”

Finn was surprised, “Boyfriend? No, no boyfriend.”

“Is the jazz club a good idea? They’ll be quite a few LDBers there, it’s not an official event but there will be a lot of us there.”

Finn grinned, Rory was more of a legacy in the LDB than most current members and she wasn’t even aware of it. “As you said, it’s not an official event so it shouldn’t come up in conversation.”

Logan nodded, “Ok. Well, that’s all I wanted to know.  Thanks.”  He quickly made his exit and Finn laid back on the couch, _oh yes, this was getting interesting._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory enjoyed spending the next 3 days with Elliot.  They spent as much time running around outside as possible, winter would be settling in soon and then they’d be stuck inside.  The Inn was coming along nicely and would probably be open by Christmas, Mia had already requested a room so she could spend the holidays with ‘her girls’.  They missed her terribly but she kept in touch, sending postcards and letters from her travels, she may have retired but she kept just as busy.  She was the only great-grandmother that Elliott knew and he loved his GG, she was the only grandparent Rory had and when she could have turned her back, instead she opened her arms. 

Rory and Elliot visited Lorelai and Sookie at the Inn every day, helping out where they could and sometimes just allowing Elliot to be a distraction.  Michel was especially attentive to Elliot which had surprised all of them, he never forgot a birthday or holiday, he had become a close friend to Lorelai over the years and Elliot had really solidified their friendship, he loved that little boy and would walk through fire for any of them. 

On one of their visits, Michel had taken Elliot over to the desk and they colored pictures which Rory was sure would end up somewhere for all of the guests to see.  She took the opportunity to track down her mother.  She needed to talk to her about Friday.

“Mom?” Rory walked through the rooms upstairs, having seen Lorelai go up the stairs but not come back down.

“Room 5, hon.”

Rory followed the voice down the hall to Room 5 and found her mother holding paint swatches against the wall.

“What are you doing?”

“Picking paint and this room has the best light, I wanted to make sure it looks good in the light and the dark, this is an important decision.  Our success depends on it.”

“I don’t think your success depends on paint colors but just to be safe, I say go with the one on the right.”

Lorelai contemplated the colors in her hand, “Good choice. I have to check with Sookie and Michel but I think you might be on to something.” Lorelai turned towards Rory, “What’s up?”

Rory looked down and started to fidget, “I just wanted to talk to you about Friday.”

“Ah, yeah, about that. I’m sorry for accepting the invitation for you but I just got so excited that you’re making friends.”

“No, no no.” Rory’s head snapped up, “It’s not that, I just, I don’t know, I mean, I’ve never really, I don’t have that many friends.”

“Oh, Rory,” Lorelai’s heart broke, she never even considered that Rory didn’t have that many friends and wouldn’t be comfortable in a big group, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think before I said yes.”

“No mom, it’s ok. I’m just not sure how 18 year olds act; I doubt they all have 2 year olds.”

“I doubt it too.” Lorelai grabbed Rory’s hand, “Just be yourself, you became friends with Finn, what did you do?”

“Nothing, he stalked me at the coffee cart.”

Lorelai and Rory both giggled, “Well that’s not going to help. Just be yourself, you’re well read, you’re a great girl and worst case, you call or text and I’ll give you an out. Just say the word.”

“Thanks mom.” Rory hugged her mother, she was thankful for everything that Lorelai had done for her and Elliot and she hadn’t steered her wrong yet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Rory was refreshed and ready to face another week of school and then her second college outing.  Elliot was still asleep when she left, she didn’t have the heart to wake him and Lorelai wasn’t planning to head to the Inn until later in the afternoon so she let him sleep. Rory kissed him goodbye and took in the sight before her, Elliot was sound asleep, his light brown hair falling into his eyes, she’d have to take him for a haircut soon, he was becoming a big kid, her baby was fading away into an adorable little boy.

She used the ride to campus to listen to notes she had recorded for a test she had that afternoon.  She had settled into a routine and they were all adapting to a new normal, before she knew it, the end of the semester and winter break would be upon them and she would have officially survived her first semester of college.  She pulled into the parking lot and quickly found a spot, needing to hit the coffee cart before her first class.  She was halfway there when Finn caught up to her.

“You’re early.”

Rory looked at her watch, “Not much. Maybe you’re late.”

“That is an absolute possibility.”

“How was your weekend?”

“It’s was great, I actually feel well-rested for the first time in a long time. How was yours?”

“Interesting as always.  I did speak with Colin and he should be on his best behavior from now on.”

“It was really ok.”

“No it wasn’t, but it’s been resolved.  How’s my favorite little guy?”

“He’s good.  He’s getting so big; I can’t believe how fast he’s growing. I feel like he was just this tiny baby in my arms and now he’s a walking, talking tornado of energy.”

“But he’s an adorable walking, talking tornado.”

“That he is. So I have to apologize for my reaction to you and my mom making plans for me on Friday.”

“No need to apologize, we shouldn’t have gone behind your back.”

“It’s ok, I should have reacted better, it’s just, I don’t have many friends so I’m not sure how to be a friend to adults that I haven’t grown up with.”

Finn paid for their coffees and put his arm around Rory’s shoulders as they headed back to her class. “My friends will be on their best behavior, I promise.  If they’re not, we’ll leave, I won’t desert you.”

“Thanks.  I think it’ll be good for me to get out; Elliot can’t be my only friend.  There’s only so much toddler talk to go around.”

“I think you’ll like the crew.”

“I hope they like me.”

“That I can promise.”

When they reached Rory’s building, Finn pulled her into a hug.  “I will see you tomorrow.” Finn began to walk away from Rory backwards, never breaking eye contact, “Have a great day, darling.”

Rory waved before ducking into the building and hurrying to class.  Finn loved to be the center of attention and Rory was beginning to think she wasn’t going to get a choice in whether she was or not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory and Finn met each morning, getting their morning coffee and walk and talk as they called it.  Rory was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable about going out with Finn and his friends.  By Friday, Finn had convinced her that she was going to have a good time and his friends would love her.  When they separated after their coffee, Finn gave Rory the key to his room for her to hang out after her last class.  She had brought a bag so she could shower and change and was thankful she had Finn.  She was heading to her last class when her phone buzzed, she looked down to see photo of a jazz musician and the words _Be Ready_. Rory had told Finn she was ready for anything but she was beginning to rethink that.

By the time she reached Finn’s room after her class, she paced in the hallway for at least 5 minutes internally debating going in on her own or just waiting until he was back.  After a phone call to her mother and another 5 minutes, she sucked it up and opened the door with the key.  She was pleasantly surprised to find it quiet and it didn’t appear as if anyone else was there.

She quickly made her way to his room and locked herself in his bathroom, ready to shower and get dressed for her night out.  She had brought jeans, a sweater and low heeled black boots her mother insisted she needed to wear out.  She took a long, hot shower to calm her nerves and relax.  She gave herself a pep talk and was feigning confidence by the time she was dressed and ready to go.  She packed her toiletries and exited the bathroom, expecting to find Finn waiting but it was an empty room.  The further she got into the room, she began to hear the voices in the living room, she recognized Finn’s and the girl from the other day but that was it.  She took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Ah, there she is, I was beginning to worry that you drowned.” Finn threw his arms open.

“Nope, no drowning.”

Rory took in the room, Finn sat on the arm of the couch, his roommate Colin sat in one of the armchairs with the blonde girl Stephanie on his lap, the blonde guy from the party that she introduced herself as Lola to was sitting on the couch as was another brunette male that she didn’t recognize. 

“Lady and Gentlemen,” Finn addressed the group sitting, “allow me to introduce the lovely Miss Rory.” Finn winked at Rory, keeping her last name a secret as long as possible seemed to be her mission.

Rory held up her hand in a wave, “Hi.”

“Hi, Rory, it’s nice to see you again.” Stephanie smiled at her and waved from her place on Colin’s lap.

“We meet again.” Logan grinned at Rory.

“So we do.” Rory was feeling uncomfortable under his stare. “Nice to see you again.”

Finn pointed to Colin, “That’s Colin, he promises to be on his best behavior tonight and that’s Robert.” He pointed to the other brunette on the couch. “What do you kids say we head out to soak in some jazz?”

Everyone headed for the door and Finn felt himself being pushed aside so Logan could walk out after Rory. There was a part of him that wanted to push back and protect Rory but he did promise Lorelai she would have a good time and make new friends.  He just had to make sure that Logan didn’t misread Rory’s attempt at friendship as something else.

They piled into the car parked at the curb.  Rory was not surprised to hear that they used a car service when they went out, especially if they were going to be drinking.  She should have been but she was learning with Finn, anything was possible. During the ride to the club, Rory listened as they laughed and joked with each other, they clearly spent a lot of time together. 

When they arrived at the club, Rory followed them in, taking in everything around her.  The club was small, with metal café tables spread around the room with a bar along the back wall and a small stage where a jazz band was currently playing.  They found a few tables together in the center of the floor, while Rory, Finn, Logan and Stephanie took seats; Robert and Colin took orders and headed off to the bar.

“You don’t have to drink water, they don’t card here.” Logan said to Rory after she had asked for water with lemon.

“I don’t drink.”

“Fair enough.”

Rory turned her attention to the jazz band and found herself lost in the music, her mother had played all types of music growing up but live jazz was nothing like the records they played.

Logan watched Rory get lost in the music, “It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?”

Rory was startled, “It is.”

“First time listening to jazz?”

“No, my mother used to play jazz around the house.  It sounds a lot different live.”

“There’s more emotion, more feeling, you can get lost in it.”

Rory nodded her head, “That’s what I’ve heard.”

Logan leaned back in his chair and caught Finn’s eye.  For as much as he wanted to warn Rory away from Logan, he was pretty sure they would be good for each other.  Finn leaned over and whispered something in Rory’s ear that made them both laugh and Logan looked on, completely taken in by Finn’s new friend. 

Rory and Finn continued in hushed conversation, giggling like little girls at a sleepover. Logan would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit happy when someone distracted Finn giving Logan the opening to talk to Rory again.  It was made even easier when the band decided to take a break.  Colin and Stephanie headed outside for some air, Robert headed to another table of LDBers. 

“Are you good?”  Finn looked at Rory who nodded, “I’ll be right back.” Rory nodded again.

“So what are you majoring in?” As soon as he said it, Logan knew he sounded stupid.

“Journalism. You?”

“Publishing. What made you choose Journalism?”

“Christiane Amanpour.”

“You’re a fan?”

Rory’s eyes lit up, “Yes. I once dreamed of being her.”

“What changed?”

Rory paused, not ready to bring Elliot into a conversation, “There’s only 1 Christiane Amanpour and she’s amazing and I’m not her.”

“It’s always good to have a goal.”

“Why publishing?”

“Family business. One day my father will retire and I’ll inherit the family business. 

“Your family is in publishing? Anything I would know?”

Logan hesitated, “Possibly, but that’s not important, I want to know about you.”

Rory shrugged her shoulders, “Not much to know.”

“Why’d you come to Yale?”

The band was getting back up on stage, Finn had returned as had Robert.

“Everyone having fun?” Finn interjected before Rory could answer and didn’t miss the dirty look Logan shot his way.

“We’re good.” Logan said through clenched teeth and glared at Finn around Rory, who had returned her attention to the band on stage and away from Logan.

Finn grinned and also turned his attention to the band, Rory was completely oblivious to Logan’s attention and Finn was finding it highly amusing.  Colin and Stephanie never reappeared; Robert watched Logan’s attention drift between Rory and the band on stage.

“Well, this evening just got interesting.” Robert whispered to Finn who had moved from his spot next to Rory to the empty seat vacated by Colin.

“You’re telling me.” Finn whispered back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the band finished their last song, they headed out into the brisk night air. Rory shivered as soon as they hit the cool air, it was the instant wake up that she needed for her drive home but she had left her coat in her car, which did not help her standing on the sidewalk in her sweater while they waited for the car. 

Logan shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around Rory, “Here, put this on.” Finn was standing a step behind Rory and looked at Logan and grinned, this was a whole new side to Logan.

“Are you sure? You’re going to freeze.”  Rory was hesitant to accept the coat that was being put around her shoulders.

“I’ll be fine. The car will be here in a minute.”

Finn grabbed Robert’s arm and pulled him towards the building, doing his best to give Logan and Rory a moment to themselves.  He was pretty sure that Logan was going to ask for her number and they did not need an audience.

Logan noticed Finn and Robert acting like they were oblivious to the scene in front of them, “Did you enjoy the evening?”

“Yes.  It was nice to get out; I don’t get to do it often so it’s a nice change of pace.”

“You’re welcome to come out with us any time. A friend of Finn is a friend of ours.”

“Thanks but I keep busy at home so I don’t get a lot of opportunities.”

“Well, we should change that.”

“Some day.”

“What about sometime this week?”

“I’m sorry?” Rory looked at Logan, confused.

“Would you like to go out sometime this week? With me?”

“With you? Alone?”

“Yes. With me. Alone. I don’t bite,” Logan paused, “At least not on the first date.”

“A date.” Rory looked around for Finn and caught his eye; he saw the panic on her face and realized she needed a save.

He quickly walked away from Robert. “So kids, did we all have a good time?”

The look of relief on Rory’s face was only matched in annoyance on Logan’s.  Rory thanked the stars above when the car pulled up.  Rory made sure to sit as far away from Logan as possible and huddled up to Finn.

“You’re shaking, love.  Are you still cold?”

Rory shook her head, “No. I’m ok.”

Finn had no idea what transpired but he was going to find out. “I’ll drive back with you to the Hollow; I don’t want you driving alone.” Finn whispered. “We need to talk.”

Rory nodded her head. “Ok.  We’ll bring you back tomorrow.”

The rest of the car ride to campus was silent.  Logan had the driver drop Rory and Finn off at Finn’s building so Rory could grab her stuff before continuing on to drop him and Robert at their buildings across campus.

“Rory, it was a pleasure.” Robert spoke first.

“Yes, it was nice to meet you both.” Rory smiled and stepped out of the car.

“Drive safe.” Logan was very confused by the last hour and would definitely need to talk to Finn.

After collecting her bag from Finn’s room, Rory and Finn climbed into the car to head back to Stars Hollow.  Before she started driving, she texted her mother, _Driving back with Finn. He insisted. I’ll bring him back to campus tomorrow. Can you get the couch ready?_

Rory figured her mother was waiting to hear from her and was not surprised by the quick response. _Already did. Drive safe. I love you._

_Love you too._ Rory texted back before throwing the car into drive and heading home. 

The ride was quiet until they hit the highway, “So tell me, love, what happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“With Logan.  You seemed to hit it off and then all of a sudden you looked like a deer in headlights.”

“Nothing, we talked, he gave me his coat, asked me out, nothing.”

Finn grinned, “Hold on, he asked you out?”

“Yes. I think so. Yes.”

“You think so or he did?”

“He did.”

“Is that why you gave me the _Save Me_ look?”

Rory hung her head momentarily, “Yes. I didn’t know what to say.”

“Yes would have been a start.”

“I can’t go out with him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s older.”

“By 2 years.”

“He’s rich.”

“So am I.”

“He’s. He’s. He’s blonde.”

Finn had to laugh out loud. “He’s blonde? That’s the best you can give me?”

Rory started laughing too. “I can’t go on a date with him.”

“Why not?”

“I just. I can’t.” Rory paused, “Can we table this conversation for a while?”

“For now.”

“Works for me.” Rory reached over and put the radio on.  The remainder of the ride was filled with them both singing loudly and off-key to the radio.  Rory was grateful to see the Welcome to Stars Hollow sign; it had been a long day and even longer night.  They entered the house to find Lorelai had made the couch up with pillows and blankets, Finn collapsed on the couch while Rory headed to her room, both asleep before their heads hit the pillows.


	7. Chapter 7

Lorelai tiptoed into Rory’s room to grab Elliot before he woke up Rory and Finn. Lorelai heard them come in around 3am which was well beyond Rory’s bedtime. She wanted them to sleep as long as possible so she grabbed Elliott and brought him upstairs to get dressed and then figured they would head to Luke’s for breakfast. She quickly scribbled a note and they left, opting to walk since the cold hadn’t set in for the winter yet.

“So Elliott, do you think Mommy had fun last night?”

“Mommy still sleeping.”

“Yes, Mommy is still sleeping so we’re going to Luke’s and then we can all play outside when she wakes up.”

“Inn too?”

“We can ask if Finn wants to play and then I think you’re going to drop him off at home.”

“LUKE!” Elliott took off at a full speed run towards Luke who was just walking into the diner.

Luke caught him and tossed him into the air, smiling as Elliott started to giggle uncontrollably.

“Hey buddy.” Luke adjusted Elliott to his hip as Lorelai walked up. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” Lorelai sing-songed.

“Where’s Rory?” The trio headed into the diner.

“She is currently asleep in her bed and her friend Finn is asleep on our couch. They got home early this morning. She went out with him and his friends from Yale.”

“That’s great.”

“It is.” Lorelai couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, “She’s being a normal 18 year old.”

Luke placed Elliott in the booster seat that Lorelai had brought to the table. “It’s about time. She deserves it.”

“Yes, she does. Right, Elliott?”

“Wight.”

Luke knocked on the table. “I’ll be right back with your breakfast.”

Lorelai turned her attention to Elliott and the two colored their way through breakfast.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory rolled over and peeked her eye open and noticed it was 9am and not only was Elliott missing but the house was silent. She rolled over and stretched, surprisingly refreshed after the late night. She figured her mom had scooped up Elliott and headed to Luke’s. After enjoying the stretching and silence, she finally got out of bed to go in search in of her mom.

Rory opened her door and was surprised to see Finn sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a muffin. “Morning, love.”

“Good morning.”

“Your mom left muffins and coffee.”

Rory grabbed the coffee and inhaled the welcoming scent of Luke’s. “Did she leave a note?”

“No. They’re outside playing, I saw Elliott on the swing through the window.” 

“How did you sleep?”  
“Like a baby. Yourself?”

“I haven’t slept that well in a long time.”

“Any good dreams?” 

Rory knew where Finn was headed and wasn’t going there. “Yes, a few good things.” Rory took a bite of muffin and met Finn’s eyes, “Winter break, no school, no homework, Christmas.” 

“No people?”

“Of course.” Rory smirked, “Elliott, my mom, Luke, Lane – she comes home in a few weeks for break.”

“Do I have to ask?”

“Ask what?” The glint in Rory’s eyes told Finn she was purposely avoiding the topic.

“Any thoughts on Logan perhaps?”

“Your friend Logan?”

“Yes, my friend Logan. Somewhat attractive if you’re into rich boys with blonde hair.”

“Who said I was into rich boys with blonde hair?”

“The pink in your cheeks just now would be one indication.”

Rory quickly covered her cheeks, “I’m not interested in your friend Logan.”

“You’ve said this twice now but you never change the subject and you showed up last night knowing full well he was going to be there.”

“I’m trying to make friends. Meet new people.”

“Logan’s a new person. He can be a new friend.”

“No he can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Guys like him are serial daters.”  
“And you know this how?” Finn sipped his coffee, intrigued that they were FINALLY getting somewhere.

“I know. My mom is from Hartford, don’t forget, she knows what it’s like.”

“Maybe times have changed.”

“Not that much.”

“One date. We can double.”

“No. I’m not going on a date with him.”

“Rory.” Finn took a frustrated breath, “You’re 18, acting like you’re 80. I won’t leave you alone with him, scouts honor.” Finn held up three fingers though Rory was 100% he was never a scout. “Do I have to get Lorelai involved again?”

Before Rory could answer, the back door opened and Lorelai and Elliott came into the kitchen, “Involved in what?” Lorelai helped Elliott out of his jacket, looking between Rory and Finn.

“Nothing. You don’t need to be involved.”

Finn looked over at Lorelai with a knowing glance, “Rory.” Lorelai pulled out her ‘mom’ voice. “What’s going on?”

Rory glared at Finn, he knew damn well what he was doing and he sat there grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Rory sighed. “Finn wants me to go on a date with one of his friends.”

“That’s great! So what’s the problem?”

“She keeps saying no. I told her we could double.”

“That would be perfect. Hey, you can take Lane as your double, she’ll be home in a few weeks and that way you and Finn each have one of your own friends with you.”

“That’s brilliant!” Finn clapped his hands together and pointed to Rory, “It’s a date.”

“It’s not a date. I haven’t agreed to anything.”

Lorelai looked between the two friends. “How about you go to lunch at Yale? You were going to take Lane to show her around campus anyway, meet with the boys for lunch.”

Rory realized she wasn’t going to win and finally just ceded to her defeat, “Just lunch.”

The grins exchanged between Lorelai and Finn told Rory all she needed to know. They were working together and she didn’t stand a chance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, after playing in the yard and Finn making Rory and Elliott laugh louder than Lorelai had heard in a long time, it was time to head to Yale to bring Finn home. Lorelai walked them to the car and pulled Finn into a hug and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Always my pleasure.” Finn whispered back, “She’ll be fine. I’ve got her back.”

Lorelai watched as they drove away, excited for Rory and hoping that she hadn’t made a mistake by interfering in Rory’s life.

Rory watched as Lorelai became smaller in the rearview mirror. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Just a goodbye with a friend.”

Rory gave Finn a looked and rolled her eyes, “More like a deal with the Devil.”

Finn laughed, “It’s going to happen love, you’re going to be a normal 18 year old.”

“I am normal.”

Now it was Finn’s turned to roll his eyes, “Really, how so?”

Rory bit the inside of her mouth; thinking on her feet was never her strongest quality. “I go to college.”

“And….”

“I have a car.”

“Mmm hmm”

“I have friends.”

“Plural? Lane and I don’t count.”

Rory finally humphed her resignation. “Ok maybe not NORMAL but I am an 18 year old.”

“I’m 2!” Elliot yelled from the backseat, holding up 2 fingers to show Finn who had turned in his seat.

They all giggled and Rory was grateful for the distraction. “Why don’t we go to the pub for lunch before you head back to the Hollow?”

“I’m not being that person that brings a baby to a bar.”

“I’m a big boy!” Elliott yelled.

Finn shrugged his shoulders, “You heard him - he’s not a baby.”

“We’re not going to the pub. End of story.”

“There’s a little café that I know of, we’ll go there. You’ll love it and they have toys for kids to play with and stay occupied. The walls are lined with books.”

Rory’s eyes grew wide and Finn knew he had hit the right spot. The more he could get her into Hartford, the easier it was going to be to get her to being a “normal” 18 year old.

As they continued their drive, Finn and Rory laughed and sang along to the numbers song, the letters song, Old MacDonald and any other song that Elliott made up. By the time they arrived at the café, Elliott was singing a song about a gnome that was obviously something he had made up, most likely with help from Morey. Finn held Elliott’s hand as they walked the few feet to the café from where they had parked. It was nice to see that Rory wasn’t tethered to Elliott all the time. Sometimes, you’d almost believe she was a single, 18-year old with no responsibilities. 

They quickly ordered scones and coffee and then Finn took Elliott to the kids’ area and pushed Rory to a worn old chair in the corner and directed her to get a book and relax. The look of pure giddiness on her face was all Finn needed, he watched her grab a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee which she had probable already read a few times over.

A few hours had passed when Finn and a sleeping Elliott went to pull Rory from her book. 

”Hey. I think someone is ready to go home.” Finn motioned to the sleeping toddler in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, I lost track of time.”

“No worries, love. You deserved the time to yourself. Would you like to buy the book before you go?”

“Oh no, I have 2 copies back home.”

“Of course you do.” 

Rory started to giggle, “I’m a book girl. I love my books almost as much as I love this guy.” Rory reached over to touch Elliott’s back.

The three of them headed from the café to Rory’s car. She was impressed that Finn had somehow mastered the car seat in just a few visits. She hugged him goodbye and waved as her and Elliott drove off. 

Finn pulled Logan’s phone number up and dialed, “Hey mate.”

“Hi Finn, what’s up?”

“How do you feel about double dates?”

“I don’t know – I don’t usually do double dates and since when do you?”

“Since I got the lovely Miss Rory to agree to see you again. Her best friend Lane is going to be visiting from university and I got Rory to agree to lunch – the four of us.”

Logan stayed quiet.

“A thank you would be appropriate at this point.” Finn grinned at Logan’s lack of response.


End file.
